congressman john delaney is calling for the robert e. lee statue to be removed from the battlefield in sharksburg. there are no plans for that right now. delaney announced he's running for president in 2020. tensions remain high in north korea. troops are in the middle of military drills. they're largely computer simulated war games running through august 31st. north korea calls the drills, a quote, reckless -- south korea's president says the drills are defensive in nature. he says they are held regularly because of repeated provocations by the north. new vemgts out of spain now. the mother of the man police believe was involved in a pair of deadly vehicle attacks wants her son to turn himself in. younes abouyaaqoub is one of 12 suspects who police say carried out attacks on thursday that killed 14 people and injured more than

cambrils. police raided homes and set up roadblocks trying to find the 22-year-old suspect. 4:31 right now. today the clinton man accused of stabbing his 6-year-old sister and their two young cousins will be in court. antonio williams will have a bond hearing and will be ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. police say that williams killed the three girls inside a home in clinton on friday. police say he confessed to the crimes but did not say why he killed them. to another kiss. caraway will be sentenced in federal court for -- he worked at an elementary school as an aid in glen arden. prince george's county authorities reached an agreement. there's an effective program for monitoring and managing sex offenders. more than 100 local and state charges are pending. 4:31 now. more details o

eight passengers ended up in the hospital. we're told they're going to be fine. metro tells us that the driver was going over a steel construction plate in chinatown when it gave way. the driver lost control and hit several parked vehicles near the capital one arena. keep an eye out for students heading back to school. all head back to school today. with the start of the new year, mayor bowser is launching a slow down campaign. she'll be in northwest to remind drivers to keep your speeds low around schools. not just in the morning. make sure you slow down in the afternoon during dismissal times. d.c. kids don't have school buses. they're on the streets walking home. >> everything changes when school starts, right? it is what everyone will be talking about today. we're working for you by counting down the start of today's big solar eclipse. it will begin at 1:17 in the afternoon and at 2:42. 82% o

by the moon. that's in our area. we are going to get a total, right? >> 1979 was the last time the u.s. witnessed a total solar eclipse. this is really exciting. especially for the space and astronomy nuts out there. >> that's a nice way to put it. >> right? >> one ever the prime viewing spots for the eclipse as it passes over our area is the air and space museum on the national mall. >> museum is hosting a viewing party where they'll hand out the coveted eclipse viewing glasses. you want your hands on the glasses so you can safely view the eclipse. the event with the museum will start at 10:00 a.m. the viewing itself will have at the public observatory. it's going to be around noon today. the giant telescope will capture the eclipse and you can watch it on viewing screens inside the museum. >> the entire country will experience a great partial solar eclipse. people in that narrow band of totality will experience one

phenomenas you can experience. >> at 5:00 a.m., justin finch will be at the observatory to show you all the cool things they have lined up for today. a full day of events there and at other locations they're setting up. if you don't have the eclipse glasses, don't worry. we're working for you. adam tuss will be at the vienna metro station handing out free eclipse glasses. >> be gentle though. adam can only hand out one at a time. he's one person. students in fauquier county will have to watch the eclipse at school. all county schools will dismiss 15 minutes later than normal. the superintendent says that they want to make sure full visibility returns when they let kids out of class. high schoolers will let out at 2:50 and elementary schools will dismiss at 3:35. we are working for you to keep you safe. you may have noticed signs along 495 and prince george's county urging dri

the road, to the side of the road to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. if you're looking for a place to watch the eclipse, check out the nbc washington app. search eclipse viewing and make sure you have the special viewing glasses to keep your eyes safe. some people have been worried that they need the glasses just general purposes if you're driving. >> no. if you're not planning to look directly at the sun, you're fine. you don't need the glasses. >> if you don't have the glasses, you'll be tempted to look up to see what the hubbub is about. don't do it. >> it's 4:35. as many as 50,000 people are expected at clemson university in south carolina for this big event. >> that state will be the last state to see the eclipse today. erika edwards is at clemson for us this morning with excitement building there. just about everywhere i think people are getting excited about this, erika. >> you're right. they have upped that previous estimate possibly up to

people. that's because over the weekend, the weather forecast started to turn a little sour for charleston, south carolina, columbia, south carolina. there might be a little bit of rain there. some people have changed travel plans and coming here where it's supposed to be sunny all day long. things will get rolling behind me. it will fill up. totality at 2:37 p.m. and last 2 minutes 37 seconds. i talked to people at campus and nearby greenville. everyone is talking about the eclipse, where are you going to be tomorrow? a lot of people are stocking up on bottled water. it's a good thing. you need to stay hydrated. you mentioned the solar eclipse glasses. guys, back to you. >> erika edwards live in clemson for us. >> we are aulie clips all day long on news 4. >> it's only today. i can't say every day. our special coverage begins at

bell in south carolina and our adam tuss, as we mentioned, will be in chopper 4. after he passes out the glasses, he'll go in the skies and have a unique perspective. you don't want to miss any of it. >> it will be a lot of fun. you have a couple of minutes. people are saying if you have a family of 12 -- if you have a big family, you can have one pair. you can pass them around. >> exactly. don't look at the sun. of course, the weather will make a huge difference on how much of the eclipse you can see today. >> we'll check in with rob for a check of traffic. we'll check in with sheena parveen. >> hey guys, i really hope adam tuss is wearing a suit of armor. a lot of people want the glasses for sure. good point. you can share the glasses with people. you really need one pair for a few of you. four things to know before you head out today. of course, the eclipse weather. it is looking like a mix of sun and clouds for today. we have thunderms

forecast. it looks mostly after 2:00 p.m., though. i think most of the area should be staying dry during the maxey clips time. which is 2:42. feeling like 105 and a big cooldown then coming. we'll get into more detail and show you the timing of the storms. let's check traffic with rob stallworth with wfrmt top. good morning. >> good morning, sheena. how is everything this morning, folks. if you're traveling outbound on the clara barton parkway, we have a report of an overturned vehicle near the glenn echo turn around. use caution there if you're traveling outbound. westbound i-66, as you travel toward gainesville, looking at a work zone still set up there and blocking the left lane with state police on scene. otherwise, capitol beltway looking pretty good with no real issues. everything looks pretty good right now on the beltway. from the wtop traffic center, i'm rob stallworth. rob, thank you.

sound in london. why big ben is now going silent for longest time in decades. something stinks near capitol hill. not what you think i'm talking about. the oddly captivating display that's now in bloom and why the

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that familiar sound in london won't be heard for a while. renovations on big ben start today and could last until 2021. hard to imagine living without that sound. the u.s. botanic gardens is giving you extra time to take in, really take in the corpse flower. >> deep breath, right? >> i can't even. >> the first of three bloomed this weekend and filled the air with its signature funk. the other two flowers can bloom at any moment, amplifying the stench, which is why the garden will extend hours until 10:00 at night. >> that's what you do when things get smelly. >> on the peak bloom days that will happen. last year there was only one flower. that wasn't enough. they got more. more than 130,000 people went to see the one. >> described it as rotting meat plus garlic, plus diapers. >> fish in there, too. >> add some fish.

you might as well for good measure. sheena, the forecast means everything as we plan for the total solar eclipse. >> yes. the eclipse, we'll see 82% coverage. make sure you have the glasses with you. coming up in a bit, we'll talk about sky cover for today. the clouds, the rain chances. but if you're about to walk outside, it's pretty mild out there. we'll take a closer look what you can expect through the afternoon coming up. your pets might be freaked out by the eclipse today. this morning, the unique way nature responds to the sight that might take you by surprise. >> a new path forward. how president trump plans to take on the war in afghanistan

good morning. eclipse forecast. 91 is the

high. during the eclipse which will peak at 2:42. getting darker so the temperature will be dropping. it's not going to be 91 degrees during the time of totalitotali. but we'll see a mix of sun and clouds. we'll look at the timeline of when to expect storms. >> thanks, sheena. we are hours away from the big solar eclipse ahead at 6:00. we're live with the best spots you can see and what you need to know to be safely viewing the sight of the timeline. you got it? >> 4:46 right now. tonight we'll find out whether additional troops are headed to afghanistan. >> president trump is set to address the nation on his new strategy. news 4's edward lawrence live on capitol hill now. edward, if more troops are deployed, what would they be doing there? >> the president increased the number we had to 8400 in afghanistan. they're in an advisory role. that means that they cannot fire engaging combat unless they're actively specifically fired on. any new troop

would probably hit that same role unless it changes with the president's new direction. >> edward, what other options does the president have? >> at this point, the folks around the roubd table at camp david, the national security advisers, some favored adding 4,000 more troops. that was suggested during the armed services committee meeting earlier in the year. some other folks, like fired adviser steve bannon, favored getting out of afghanistan altogether ending the 16-year war. we'll have to see what the president says later today. >> edward lawrence live on capitol hill for us. thank you. we'll have live coverage of president trump's address from fort miyer in arlington later o nbc4. parents in prince william county, it's called find my bus. the online tool gives parents a chance to enter their student's address and grade level to get

assigned bus and neighborhood information. school starts monday in the county. not every day you have a party because road construction is done. that's what happened yesterday in northwest d.c. near the national zoo. the first part of the beach drive construction project from tilden to rock creek parkway is finished. what's new? well, how about that? a staircase and walkway, a crosswalk that leads to the national zoo and a flashing signal to help pedestrians there. the national park service threw a block party yesterday. >> we want to thank the residents for being so patient. we want to create an opportunity for everyone to see the roadway. >> there's still more construction to be done. the entire project is expected to be finished by fall of 2019. not everyone is partying quite yet. we want to thank everyone who visited an animal shelter and brought home a new best friend. >> you made clear the shelters a huge success this

adoption fees were waived at a lot of local shelters. more than 1300 animals found new forever homes, including dogs, cats, even mice. >> what? >> i haven't heard about the rabbits, though. >> i'm sorry. you lost me at bringing the mice home as pets. more than 60,000 pets found new families. if you adopted a new friend, we'd love to see your pictures. you can tweet us at nbcwashington.com. you know i can't do the little -- we went to the library yesterday and there's a pet hamster. i couldn't even look at it. >> in the wheel. >> i can't even look at it. no. >> it's not just people who will stop their day to take in the solar eclipse. >> you want to pay attention to the way nature reacts to today's events in the skies. we're talking about the animals, reports dating back centuries, found bizarre behavior from the animal kingdom during an eclipse.

in 1534 birds stopped singing. 1851 a colony of ants stopped moving until the light reappear reappeared. another study found that chimpanzees would climb and point to the sky. we know they're super smart. >> animals that are normally active in the daytime might shut down if they see the light go down. that will all change. >> uh-oh. >> even spiders may freak out during a past eclipse in china. spiders gandee constructing their webs. >> time to go. don't be alarmed. that's what they're acting like apparently. >> walking backwards and whatnot. >> it will not set off any violent reaction. >> if your dog starts biting itself, it's just the eclipse. >> hopefully, they don't start foaming at the mouth. >> the vampire, zombie puppy. >> oh, my goodness. >> i'm

forecast. everybody wants to know what it's going to look like outside when we look up. >> last week it was supposed to be -- stop laughing. >> i haven't done this before. you really don't know, right? >> no one has. >> take video in case something crazy does happen, we can show it on the news and show everybody what happened at your house. today, it does look like we'll have a mix of sun and clouds this afternoon. we have a storm chance that's mostly going to come after 2:00 p.m. eun is still laughing. it's pretty funny. tomorrow, that's going to be hotter than today. feeling near 105 degrees. keep in mind, during the eclipse, the temperature is going to drop off a little bit. we are going to see the numbers dropping down just a bit as we go into the afternoon today. the totality time is at 2:42 this afternoon. so we are going to be watching all this very closely as we go throughout the day today. again, that mix of sun and

clouds that will mostly be for the afternoon hours. i think a lot of the rain will be actually missing the eclipse time today. so it's mostly going to be later on this afternoon. temperatures through most of the day, though, will be around 90 degrees. but as we go through the next couple of days, we'll see a big temperature swing with the heat and humidity tomorrow. then we drop into the 80s. much, much lower humidity coming up in a bit. we'll look at the extended forecast and break down the eclipse time this afternoon. we'll take a look at traffic now with rob stallworth. good morning. >> thanks, sheena. good morning to you folks. if you're traveling outbound on the clara barton parkway, report of a crash near the glenn echo turn around. inbound looks pretty good. no problems reported around the capitol beltway so far through maryland and virginia. things are looking pretty smooth. no real issues on 95 in

from the wtop traffic center, i'm rob stallworth. back to you. >> thanks, rob. businesses are cashing in on the eclipse. where you can score a deal today before the sky goes dark. what rights do you have on your next flight? what the experts are saying about the

if you bought powerball tickets over the weekend, put it away. no winner saturday night after the drawing. you might want to go out and buy a new ticket or two today. wednesday's jackpot is up to $650 million. >> wow. >> that's just the second biggest jackpot in u.s. history. the odds of winning still 1 in 292 billion. >> i know. i like how i buy tickets thinking when the jackpot get bigger, i have a better chance. it's the opposite. today's eclipse is inspiring some stellar special -- denny's is offering all you can eat moon cakes. the restaurant says the pancakes are shaped like a balloon. aren't they always? again -- right? okay. frigidaire is having a blackout sale. get it? black stainless steel appliances will be 30% off. there you go. >> there's been a lot of -- >>

stop it. there's been a lot of talk about better treatment of airline passengers. the u.s. still lags behind other countries when it comes to flight delays and/or cancellations. airlines promise to get you from point a to point b. but what they don't promise, according to critics, is when you'll get there. they say that could change if the u.s. had airline rules like europe. >> so that if your flight from europe to the united states is delayed by four hours, you get 600 euros, which is about $650. >> the thing about air passenger rights and flight compensation is, it's bigger in europe. >> there are some companies that help passengers file complaints against an airline for fees. federal regulators have a website dedicated for passenger complaints and doesn't cost you anything. >> all this week, the news 4 i-team is working to keep your children safe as they head back to school. there is fallout from a recent i-team report about whether state law is leaving kids

i-team scott mcfarland looked into the issue. >> consider a change in its regulation after a news 4 i-team report found an arlington -- found sexual abuse by county human services. managed to keep teaching. for years across state line to thomas johnson middle school. that loophole allows teachers who appeal their cases to keep teaching and keep their teaching licenses during the appeals and keep their names off a state child abuse registry that would normally prevent them from working in a school. some of the appeals we found last year. >> this is worthy of our attention. we have to come up with a way that protects our children, as well as protects the rights of the accused. >> why this could impact kids in every local school district. the statewide alert september out because of our reporting. that's today at 6:00.

news 4 i-team. you can check out the i-team half-hour special, slipping through the cracks. breaking down the investigation into teacher miss conducts cases. visit our nbc washington app for more information. stay with us. "news4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m. on "news4 today," are you ready for school and the backups it will bring. thousands of kids head back to the class today. how it will impact your commute? >> count doup to the eclipse. the show in the sky hours away now. we'll tell you the best ways to watch it safely. >> do you still need eclipse glasses? nbc4 is working for you. where to find us to get a free pair. a live look at 5:00 a.m. a workweek is starting out clear. i'm eun yang. i'm aaron gilchrist. thanks for waking up early

an exciting day for a lot of folks. we'll get to the eclipse team coverage in a minute. working for you to get you out the door this morning. >> rob stallworth is keeping an eye on your commute. but we begin with storm team 4 meteorologist sheena parveen for a look at our solar eclipse viewing weather. >> yes, good morning guys. we might have clouds starting to move in statement. i think we're going to see a mix of sun and clouds. the good news is we have storms in the forecast. but they look to hold off until after eclipse viewing time. here is a live look at the radar. passing clouds. dry as you head out for the morning commute. here's a look at the monday planner. around 75 degrees. mostly sunny by 10:00 a.m. mid-80s. by eclipse time, 2:42, it's the peak time for maximum totality. 82% coverage. i think temperatures are going to be dropping a little bit. not getting cold. it will be darker outside.