where the giant statue of abraham lincoln looks out over the mall. marble is more porous than the granite beside the stairs where the second message of written. visitors think it's an outrage. >> i think it's unfortunate that people feel that's maybe the only way they can express their opinion. you know, there are other ways to do that and vandalizing a piece of history that many people are here to see is unfortunate. >> it's sad. i was here about four years ago and i just don't feel like the times were the same then. it's disrespectful. >> reporter: visitors from england say they've seen graffiti before, but never on their national landmarks. >> it's absolutely disgusting. why would anybody want to do that in a beautiful place like this? >> reporter: at the washington monument, similar graffiti had just been removed b

park service. what did you use to get it off? >> graffiti remover, paint stripper and i just agitated it with a brush and came back and washed it off. >> reporter: then he began scrubbing black ink from the world war ii memorial. >> i don't know what would drive somebody to want to disresult what we're trying to do by honoring the fallen. >> reporter: ahead, a current u.s. military officer tells me why he is taking these attacks of vandalism personally. a day after we saw not my president protests here in washington and other cities, we're seeing more action from students in our area, dozens at osborne high in manassas walking out of class this afternoon. organizers tell us they wanted to protest the president's immigration policies. many students say they are the children of

a new executive order on immigration as the president's travel ban works through the court system. meanwhile, there are new guidelines today for cracking down on people coming into the country illegally. those guidelines from homeland security echo some of the president's executive actions including hiring 10,000 new ice agents and 5,000 for border patrol. the memos expand on who can be deported, anyone here illegally who's suspected, charged or convicted of a crime. that includes minor offenses like traffic violations or shoplifting. it's a change from the obama administration's focus on serious crimes. the memos also call for more judges and officers citing a backlog of more than half a million immigration related cases. one area the memos don't address is daca, a program for undocunt

here as children. the aclu's immigrants rights project released a statement in part kau calling this a hyper aggressive mass deportation policy, saying the courts and public won't allow this to become a reality. police are trying to track down a man who may have robbed two separate 7-elevens in the district. in both cases he had a gun. >> reporter: there is a story about a most wanted man. i'm hoping to get a picture of him soon so i can show it to you. i was talking to the police chief today. he's most concerned about this guy. he wants him off the street. when you hear the story, you'll understand why. i'm on georgia avenue in petworth at the shell station here. embedded in the shell station is a 7-eleven store. in the dark hours of the morning over the weekend, a man with a shotgun

robs the place. it's believed he got a substantial amount of money. it's also believed that same man with that same shotgun lobbed another 7-eleven in northeast. police want to identify him and track him down before someone gets seriously hurt. now there's security camera video of what happened inside. police are trying to get that. when they give it to us, i'll show it to you. she's left us. bao bao the national zoo's giant panda is now about three hours into her 16-hour flight to her new home in china. here's a live look at flightaware.com giving us a chance to see exactly where the fedex plane is right now. looks like she's nearing the coast of eastern canada now. kristin wright has more on the fond farewell today

girl who brought joy to so many people over the last three years. >> reporter: it's been a long good-bye. and those are sometimes the hardest. >> seeing that crate go into the truck was a little bit tough. >> reporter: in washington it's not uncommon to cry when pands s have to leave. >> it's been a hard day. i'm also pretty excited for her. >> reporter: chopper 4 watched bao bao ride from the national zoo, through her city to dulles airport. the giant panda arrived to the tarmac in her special crate. in seconds bao bao was on board. a delicate transfer for a panda who's captured hearts. >> our team has worked so hard for so many years to make sure giant panda's stay on the earth. >> reporter: bao bao will enter a breeding program in china. >> this is what route

and hopefully have cubs of her own some day. then we'll know we've really done what we wanted to do. >> this is some expected small light turbulence but we're going to go north of that. and we'll avoid, avoid, avoid. it will be an enjoyable trip. the woman who was speaking so much about bao bao is jenny spotten, she is one of the national zoo's animal handlers there. >> you know they're having it tough down there. also tough out there as this weather -- although it's lovely, it is dry. doug, we haven't had rain in a while or humidity. >> we really haven't. that's something that's going to continue, we think right over the last week to ten days. moderate drough

down towards washington and fredericksburg, moderate drought as we have not seen much in the way of rain at all month of the entire month of february. nearly two inches below average since january 1st. that's way below average. but 8.34 inches below average for the last six months. looking to remain dry right on through the early portions of march. this has prompted some fires over the last couple of days. the warmer we get, the drier we stay. that could be a continuing problem. brush fires numerous in prince george's county just yesterday and today. >> reporter: and it's very unusual. the fire department is normally ready to deal with this stuff in the spring. it's what they see later on. definitely not in february. in fact, just a fewou

department put out another brush fire. it could be this way for the next few days. around noon yesterday barbara's husband was looking out their back porch window when he saw flames in the woods. barbara says the fire quickly spread, just yards from their glendale home. >> the fire spread two driveways down. at times it was about -- it looked to me like three feet high. >> reporter: no one was hurt or had to be evacuated. there were ten brush fires including here in bowie. >> yesterday just about all ten of the incidents we handled required more than one engine. >> reporter: all of the fires are still under investigation.

fire inspectors are looking into the possibility that the one in bowie may have been suspicious. >> we have some witness accounts that saw some people in the area just prior to the fire starting. >> reporter: whatever the cause, brush fires are unusual for the month of february. >> onecontributing factors is the lack of rain, lower muhammlow lower humidity and the wind. >> reporter: today another fire that one engine was able to quickly extinguish. prince george's county is experiencing the kind of dryness that we normally see in early spring. we could be living with these conditions for the firrest of t week. tips r

yourself and folks around you safe, coming up. right back after the break with a visit by the president to the smithsonian's newest mu seem.

. we're a very divided nation and we have been for many, many years, decades. i mean, you go back to the founding and i would just like to see if we could bring people together. >> president trump speaking earlier today with nbc's craig melvin as here

smithsonian's museum of african-american history and culture. mr. trump also talked about a recent uptick in cases of anti-semitism and immigration. >> let's start with the fact he was at the museum during black history month. he did address -- we have a cemetery that has been trashed out in st. louis. there are problems with jccs around the country, with anti-semitism. how did he respond not only to the museum but to your questions about that? >> this has been one of those subjects where over the past few weeks the response that you get from the white house, those responses have drawn some criticism. last week of course there was that news conference in which the report frer from the jewish publication stood up and asked about it. that did in the go well. then today we thought we would ask once again for the president

to condemn anti-semitism and those who are enchanging in it right now around this country. here was the president's response to that question. >> it's terrible. it's horrible. whether it's anti-semitism or racism or anything you want to think about having to do with the divide, anti-semitism is -- likewise, it's just terrible. >> craig, you also asked about immigration this morning too. he said something that we've heard him say before, needing people who love our country. did he expand on that any today? >> not so much. in the conversation that we had we should point out that conversation came before those clarification orders from the department of homeland security. but no. we've heard the president talk in broad terms. however, that being said, he did confirm that by the end of the week we will have some additional guidance on the new orders with regards to the travel ban. of course, the nint

shot down the president's original travel ban. the thinking now is that he is going to come back with something that's a little bit broader in scope, perhaps. >> when he was at the museum, was there any exhibit that seemed to strike him that you noticed? >> that's a good question, because you got the sense that the museum did move him. we have seen and heard this president full of bluster before. that was not the president trump that we saw. by the time he had gotten to us, he had spent roughly an hour touring the museum looking. you've been to this museum. it really is breathtaking. he talked about the muhammad ali exhibit being his favorite. but he also admitted that his favorite exhibit was something that took him aback. and his housing and urban development secretary dr. ben carson w w

he has an exhibit on the third floor. they both enjoyed seeing that as well. but the president's wife melania trump was at this museum last week. he said that she came back and she was raving about it in such a way that he felt compelled to spend some time at the black history museum. >> it's old home week for you on a personal note. how much are you missing nbc 4, huh? >> this studio. >> some things don't change. >> this is a special place. i walked in. i saw my man jim vance sitting over there. vance, you don't age. doreen and you guys and i just saw pat in the halls, as you know, this is such a special place. it's always good to be able to come back. >> be well. >> we haven't aged either. >> i know. >> it's crazy. >> you can always catch craig weekdays on

recent numbers from the cdc show a steady increase in the number of suicides in the united states in the past 15 years. one longstanding tool in prevention is the hotline. and that's expanding. it may be helping to change minds. news4's doreen gentzler is here to tell us about that. >> for a lot of people in emotional distress a crisis hotline can literally be a lifeline. but a lhotline doesn't always have to be on the phone. how one local mental health provider is using other forms of communications to help change mids and save lives. this volunteer at every mind is chatting with a 12-year-old who reached out. >> he's really upset about something that happened today. >> starting in 2012we

chat services and then about two years ago we added text services to really meet people where they are. we really want to be available when anybody's in crisis wherever they are. >> rachel larkin is the director of crisis intervention and prevention in the every mind. every mind has had a crisis phone line since the '70s. the volunteers there handle everything from suicide prevention to people who need to talk about their day. >> the texts are particularly looking at young people. that's how they communicate. as a middle-aged person i know that i don't actually speak to anyone on the phone anymore. all my communications are via e-mail or text. the electronic communications, it's a wonderful opportunity. >> the anonymous aspect of text or chat allows people to open up more quickly. >> it's bringing down a lot of barriers that people had to

communicating when they're feeling badly or in crisis. >> it's not without its challenges. >> you really have to pay a lot of attention, choose your words carefully, really delve into what the person is saying and reflect their emotions and make sure you're on the same page as them. >> rachel says being available through text and chat has helped every mind help people and helped to spread the word they're available for anyone in crisis. >> amazing amount of work you can do and help you can give over phone or chat or text and get people to a better place or get them connected with the right folks. >> ever mind gets out the word about their texting and chatting services at schools and community events. you can find out more by going to our nbc washington app and searching changing minds. the every mind folks are looking for volunteers to help staff

the hours that it's available to people. news for your health, the most important lifestyle change you can make that will help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurring. also images of this dog named mama shivering in the cold.

we are loving this weather, but we know we need rain. >> right. >> and we need the pollen to go away. >> that was my next question. do you suffer from allergies? >> yeah, we are. >> the tree pollen way up there. obviously it's way early for this time of year because of the fact that we've seen so much warm weather. that warm weather just wants to continue over the next few days. take a look at this. going to be a nice sunset. we've seen some mid to high level clouds continuing to come in. check that out, a sun dog right there. it's right there. see that right there. if i could pan to the left, i would. a sun dog or a sub sun forms at about 23.5 degrees away from the sun. anyway. >> let

>> if you have your polarized sunglasses, it looks even better. anyway, sorry. okay. 55 degrees the current temperature out there right now. temperatures going down tonight, but not too much. because of the cloud cover we stay well above average. 54 degrees in winchester right now, 58 in culpepper. 49 over towards annapolis. much cooler along the water with that wind coming out of the east. that wind will be shifting tonight and that will give us the warmer air tomorrow. no rain. again, we do need the rain. i showed you how dry we are. we've got two systems moving to the east, one to the north, one to the south. but the one to the south will move to the south. and the one to the north will stay to the north. you could see the showers around buffalo. but for us, not much of a chance. maybe some sprinkles overnight into early tomorrow or

dry and warm. in the 60s to near 70s just back to the west. the northeast has stayed on the cold side, only 43 right now in new york. we're going to get the warm air moving back in across our region. tomorrow, 66 degrees the high temperature. mixture of clouds and sun. much warmer. and that will once again continue with the pollen. the pollen today on the medium to high side. it is quite high for trees but going up over the next couple of days, thursday really bad, friday really bad. saturday we do get some relief. i think we'll start to see some rain on saturday. look at these highs. 72 on thursday, 74 on friday. temperature on saturday of 70 degrees. before that rain moves through, that will be p.m. showers, most of them should be light but could see a rumble of thunder. and much cooler weather on sunday, back down to 50 degrees. windchills will be a factor

week. one of the warmest februarys ever. looks to continue that way in march. >> that pollen is going to make me lose my voice on thursday and friday. this has been the subject of controversy since it was first hung in the halls of the capitol. >> today there's even more drama surrounding the painting that was taken down, put back up and taken down again. >> reporter: metro's leader says the financial picture looks bleak and it could be getting worse. >> reporter: the biggest acquisition for the nats in the off

right now at 5:30, a freezing and neglected pit bull sparks a change in the law in the district. >> but first tough times for metro. the warning about the future for the transit agency and what that means for riders. >> metro's general manager painted a breleak financial picture today, saying as soon as he plugs this year's budget gap, more problems will be coming down the line. transportation reporter

tuss talking one on one with the gm today. >> reporter: it's really as simple as this. the gm says he needs help and he needs our region to pitch in. metro's gm says he's looked under every rock to find savings at the transit agency, from slashing jobs to potentially cutting service. but a breaking point is fast approaching. >> i've used up just about every tool i have. i can continue to press. i will. on absenteeism and those things, but the big numbers just aren't there. >> reporter: what the gm is talking about isn't exactly new, but as metro tackled a nearly $300 million budget gap this year, it's clear they're going to need help. >> one of this i things i've he

repeatedly is -- >> reporter: while the gm has not called for a dedicated source of funding for the region specifically, others have said something like a sales tax needs to be set up that would specifically fund metro. >> it does have its issues but still so does 270, so does 495. >> reporter: do you feel like you're getting what you pay for? >> yeah. >> reporter: for now, metro's leader putting the region on notice that something financially is going to have to change. all of this happening as metro continues to shed riders. coming up, i'll tell you why metro's leader is standing by safe track. the virginia railway express wants to raise the price you pay for tickets. the vre has scheduled public hearings to gather feedback. ticket prices would go up 3% starting in july.

if you want to know when and where those public hearings will be held, just search vre fares in our nbc washington app. an arrest in a deadly stabbing in seat pleasant earlier this month. marlon marshall accused of stabbing jamal barnes. investigators believe barnes was arguing with and a second man. marshall is being held without bond, charged with murder. a lawsuit tonight over that controversial painting that was removed from the u.s. capitol. missouri congressman william clay says removing its violates his constituents' first amendment right to freedom of expression. the painting depicts police officers as pigs holding guns.

>> in america if you don't like a painting, you go to the next painting or you leave the gallery. we're saying let's go back to the freedom of speech. if not, we're going to have a serious problem if we have to litigate the offensiveness of every piece of artwork in the capitol. maryland senators are pushing for a statue of harriet tubman at the u.s. capital. tubman was born in maryland. she led the slaves to freedom in the underground railroad. five years ago maryland started raising money to commission a statue. senators are now pushing legislation for the federal government to install that statue in the capital. winning a world series is a tall order for any team. the nats are banking on one of baseball's shortest stars to help them win that title.

>> reporter: the nalts new centr fielder adam eaton says he can't count how many times he's been told he's too short. he told me his 5'8" height has been brought up in every interview he's had. >> i'm joining a great team that's ready to win. it's something i've dreamted about a long time. i haven't been on teams that have really been built to win right now. i guess i couldn't ask for a better situation. >> reporter: the moment the news was announced bryce harper did the wow tweet. what was your reaction? and the fact that they gave away three of their top pitching prospects, does that add pressure for you? >> i have a bright light in my face. i probably have a couple hundred thousand

this. i've got another bright light. we're under pressure every day. i don't need anymore. i don't really ask for it. my job is to come play baseball. that's what i'm going to do. >>reporter: i love watching the three of you guys just sit there. it's funny. >> i'm short. >> reporter: short. we got two shorties here. all the short people are rooting for you. i know you've proved it doesn't matter how tall you are. >> if you have a love for the game and you want to come out and be a big leaguer, you can do that. just work hard and dedicate yourself to it and good things will happen. i just kind of take my short man syndrome and work amy butt off and let the cards fall where they may. >> reporter: he joked there is a bit of a downside to his height. he gets on base a lot. he has to stand on top offi

first baseman. meantime, coming up on news4 at 6:00, we're really excited. it's jason werth. live from west palm beach. a dramatic scene captured by a woman and her daughter. seven children rescued after falling through the ice on a pond in new york's central park. >> they all step on one same spot. the ice started breaking down and they all fell on the water. and get paid to commute? some of us could rake it in. the study that's paying drivers nearly four grand and what you need to have to qualify.

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this was just awful. this is dash cam video capturing a horrifying moments as you can see in the distance. that's a small plane crashing into a shopping mall in melbourne, australia, bursting into flames. witnesses say it was coming in very fast. a massive fire ball as we see as it hit a building. there were four american tourists on that plane. it was a charter taking them to a golfing trip. just a few

sister station in dallas/ft. worth believe the four were from texas. the fire so intense, rescuers could not get close to it. the plane had just taken off from a nearby airport. so it was filled with jet fuel. the pilot did send a may day call just before the plane went down. he did report engine failure. tonight several children are in new york city hospitals recovering from hypothermia. they fell through ice on a pond here in central park last night. some tourists from paraguay. one of the tourists grabbed a ladder and others sprang into action, grabbing the children and pazi ipassing them to safet. phone scam targeting seniors and a popup scam affecting

computer. >> susan hogan with what you need to know to keep safe. >> he's one of the most successful artists in the world. for the first time in decades her work will be on display. >> creating mirror rooms in which one enters and is basically surrounded by mirrors. >> we'll take you insides this one of a

bao bao is on her way to china. the fedex panda plane lifted off from dulles earlier this afternoon. she's in the midst of a 16-hour flight. it's just her and a veterinarian and another zoo official. lots of people came to the zoo and to the airport to give her a bonn voyage. looks like somebody took a sharpie to our national mall this weekend. there are six separate acts of vandalism. why an active duty military officer says he's taking the crimes personally. ten brush fires popping up in prince george's county just today. our warm weather fuelled these flames. officials say this could be a problem for days. inspectors looking into the possibility that someone may have started one

in bowie. she's one of the world's most successful artists. now you can experience her work at the hirshhorn museum. for the first time in two decades her work will be on display. >> reporter: art has a unique way of inspiring and telling a story. >> in her later works, which are obsessed with issues of vision and transseven dance. >> reporter: yayoi kusama's unique ability to show what infinity looks like sets her apart. it's an experience that takes you inside what she calls

lights are bouncing off of mirrors, bringing the visitor inside her mind. it's art that has even inspired artists like adele. she used one of the infinity mirror rooms when she performed at the brit awards earlier this year. curators say before there were infinity rooms kusama expressed herself through sculpture and these paintings. her quest was the same. she was determined to show boundlessness. for at least the next three months, visitors can explore yayoi kusama through her art. >> you experience something that that is as close as it can be to the hallucination that she experienced. virginia tech is looking for

take part in a year-long study. you can sit behind the wheel of your car and earn nearly $4,000. got your attention now, don't i? the school is looking at future vehicle technology. wants to know how drivers with this advanced automation technology in their car could use an app that would give them realtime data. the vehicles also have instruments in them that would allow them to collect video. you can read more about how to take part in this in our nbc washington app. just search virginia tech. for patients with breast cancer there is one thing you can do to reduce the risk of it occurring, get moving. according to a study from the canadian medical association, physical activity and avoiding weight gain are the most important lifestyle choices you can make. exercise had the biggest effect on breast cancer

weight gain of 10% weight gain body weight increases your death risk. there's a warning tonight about a scam that's targeting senior citizens. the fredericksburg police department has received multiple reports of suspicious phone calls about medicare insurance. susan hogan is with us with what you need to know about this. >> another scam pops up that's even more egregious. this one involves callers claiming to be updating your medicare account information. the callers are targeting seniors who are on medicare and receive their prescriptions through the mail. so unfortunate the victims truly believe these callers. bottom line, medicare will not call and ask for your account information, social security number or even your bank account information. if you get a call like this, hang up and report it to your local police department. we also have arn

regarding those popup messages that claim your computer has problems when it really doesn't. the ftc shut down an operation called global connect last year. but now it's getting calls from consumers claiming they're back at it again. people are reporting that the caller asks for remote access to your computer to restore service. don't fall for it. these scammers gain illegal access into your computer. they get your credit card information and then charge you for service you didn't need. if you get one of these calls, contact the ftc. we have links on filing complaints for each of these scams right now on our nbc washington app. search scams. virginia lawmakers from both sides are calling on the governor to undo a law related to utilities and possible refunds for customers. this law suspended the state's ability to adjust base rates because of a

but the trump administration plans to stop that program. now former virginia attorney general is joining the calls to restore the previous laws. a bill on utility rates died earlier in the legislative session. but if he chooses, the governor can propose a new one. this evening d.c. mayor muriel bowser will sign new legislation designed to keep pets from suffering when the mercury drops. this bill was spurred by these images from petwort neh news of dog named mama who was shivering in the freezing cold with nothing but a wooden shelter, some straw and a frozen water bowl. the new law requires shelters to be several inches off the ground. they have to have heat retaining and moisture wicking materials inside and they have to have a door to keep the animal safe

alliance said last month that mama is no longer being kept outside. her owner after numerous complaints has agreed to bring her inside when the temperatures get that bad. while we have had a mild winter, for pets out there it gets cold overnight. >> well, we certainly have had almost winter like day. it almost felt like winter today. almost. >> i had to actually put a coat on. >> we've had temperatures just in the 50s today. compared to the last few days it did feel a little chilly. there's our sunset. that looks like a vpainting. our sunset today at 5:53. it will be

the equinox, setting at 7:20. today we had 11 hours, two minutes of sunlight. by the equinox, 12 hours and nine minutes. right now we're in the 50s all around the region from the shenandoah valley all the way to the bay. windhe water in the bay is quite chilly. cloudy and chilly start tomorrow morning in the 40s. slight chance of some sprinkles predow predawn. by 11:00, it will be getting mild up near 60 degrees. for the commute tomorrow, dry roads. by noontime temperatures in the mid 50s to upper 50s by late afternoon. then climbing all the way into the mid 60s by middle part of the afternoon on wednesday. then on thursday, 50s in the morning. afternoon highs into the low 7

and feeling like may as we get into friday. we're going to fast forward three months. it will be in the mid 70s on friday and partly sunny. showers are looking more likely on saturday. looks like in the afternoon, maybe up around 70 degrees before then. then after that winds shift into the northwest and it starts feeling like winter. on sunday, a blustery chill. then on monday kind of recovers a bit into the 50s. tuesday a chance of a few showers. then another warm start. wednesday is the first day of march and it will feel like it's may again in the 70s. then a little cooler after that thursday and friday next week. >> wouldn't it be funny if it was like 40 degrees in may then? >> perish the thought. >> don't go there. coming up, district

just passed the paid family leave bill. >> coming up, their plan to lessen the burden on businesses while still paying for this program. dramatic video just into our newsroom captured on a d.c. police officer's body camera. see how this fiery

♪ ♪ the district government's

the most liberal in the nation. it just passed in december after nearly two years of quite bitter debate. >> the law hasn't even gone into effect yet, but tom sherwood reports the mayor and council are going to fight again over its costs. >> reporter: the d.c. paid family leave act passed in december after three hearings and several votes. one of the most liberal in the nation, it requires private employers to offer eight weeks of paid leave for a child. but now even before it can go into effect, council chairman is reopening debate after intense business complaints of excess cost and the higher tax to pay for it. infuriated paid leave supporters say the city does a lot to help business. >> yet, every time there's a proposal for a program that benefits working families, it's always about can we afford this. >> repte

4 benefits won't change, but finance might. >> it's got to somehow take care of small businesses. you can see in what i just said that what the financing has done is critical. >> reporter: still community activists fear the program itself could be weakened. >> we're just appalled that the council would go back and relitigate in whole issue. it's a clear case of the business lobby having their way behind closed doors. >> reporter: possibly federal health cut backs under president trump also could increase city health costs and undermine the paid leave program. >> we certainly think it could be done faster, cheaper and better. >> reporter: changes in the law, if any, are expected to be added by summer. some dramatic new video from northeast d.c. where police officers rushed in to save a

>> i just retweeted the link to the npd's video. you could almost feel the heat as one officer sticked h es hise body into the thick of the smoke and flames. >> can you open the door? open the door! >> officers got a call to respond a car crash. the second they arrived, this is what they saw. the man hit a light pole and his car burst into flames. he wasn't making any effort to get out. the officer is yelling at the driver to take his seat belt off and finally has to lung into the burning car to drag him away. they kept asking him if anyone else was inside. the other officer actually went around to each window, smashing it out just to make sure that driver was alone. i just followed one the