in just minutes the trump administration is expected to end a controversial immigration policy, and these protesters are voicing their outrage. more on the announcement and how it could affect hundreds of families in our area. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of students are heading back today in our region. we're taking you to one school system seeing rapid growth. we're telling you what they're doing to accommodate their new students. more rain this afternoon, and the latest track of harvey right now coming into the storm team4 weather center. we're going to update you on the latest track at 11:00 a.m. that's coming up in a few minutes.

news4 midday. we're going to take you straight to an nbc news special report. all right, we are hearing now that special report is coming within minutes but we want to start with live coverage from the justice department. let's take you there now. >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. here's lester holt. >> good morning, everyone. we're coming on the air on this busy back to work tuesday as trump administration is about to announce its decision on daca, the immigration policy put in place by president obama five years ago that allows undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children to avoid deportation. colon colonel abo currently about 800,000 of them. jeff sessions is expected to make the announcement at the justice department. kristen, talk about the timing and why they may want to announce this

against a deadline with a number of stays attorneys general threatening to sue the trump administration if it didn't scrap daca by today. here's what we expect, lester. we anticipate attorney general jeff sessions is going to announce that the administration will end daca with a six-month delay, giving congress that amount of time to fix the program. this is highly controversial. that's, in part, why you have the attorney general making the announcement and not the president himself. it's already prompting a fierce backlash from those on the left and the right. immigration advocates who say this unfairly treats those who are model immigrants. >> kristen welker, thank you. attorney general sessions has now entered the room and he will speak but we are told will take no questions. >> good morning. i'm here today to announce that the program known as daca that was effectuated under the obama administration is being rescinded. the daca program was

a legal status for recipients for a renewable two-year term, worker authorization, and other benefits, including participation in the social security program to 800,000 mostly adult illegal aliens. the policy was implemented unilaterally to great controversy and legal concern after congress rejected legislative proposals to extend similar benefits to -- on numerous occasions to this same group of illegal ill yens. in other words, the executive branch through daca deliberately sought to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize on multiple occasions. such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch. the effect of this unilateral

things, contributed to a surge of minors at the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences. it also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of americans by allowing those same illegal aliens to take those jobs. we inherited from our founders and have advanced an unsurpassed legal heritage, which is the foundation of our freedom, our safety, and our prosperity. as attorney general, it is my duty to ensure that the laws of the united states are enforced and that the constitutional order is upheld. no greater good for the overall health and well being of our republic than preserving and strengthening the impartial rule of law. societies where the rule of law is treasured are societies that tend to flourish and succeed. societies where the rule of law

and personal biases tend to become societies afflicted by corruption, poverty, and human suffering. to have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. it's just that simple. there is an open -- that would be an open orders policy, and the american people have rightly rejected that. therefore, the nation must set and enforce a limit on how immigrants we admit each year, and that means all cannot be accepted. this does not mean they are bad people or that our nation disrespect ares disrespects them or demeans them in any way. it means we are properly enforcing our laws as congress as passed them. it is with these principles and duties in mind and in light of imminent litigation that we reviewed the obama

administration's daca policy. our collective wisdom is that the policy is vulnerable to the same legal and constitutional challenges that the courts recognize with respect to the dapa program, which was enjoined on a nationwide basis in a decision that was affirmed by the fifth circuit court of appeals. the fifth circuit specifically concluded that daca had not been implemented in a fashion that loud sufficient discretion and that dapa was foreclosed by congress's careful plan. close quote. in other words, the immigration law that congress passed foreclosed this possibility of daca. in other words, it was inconsistent with the constitution's separation of powers. that decision was affirm bed by the supreme court on an equally undivided basis. if we were to keep the obama adst

amnesty policy, the likeliest outcome it would, too, be enjoined just as was dapa. the department of justice has advised the president and the department of homeland security that the department of homeland security should begin an orderly, lawful wind-down, including the cancellation of the memo that authorized this program. acting secretary duke has chosen appropriately to initiate a wind-down process. this will enable the department of homeland security to conduct an orderly change and fulfill the desire of this administration to create a time period for congress to act should it so choose. we firmly believe this is the responsible path. simply put, if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and the rule of law in america, the

defend this overreach. george washington university law professor jonathan turling in testimony before the house judiciary committee was clear about the enormous constitutional infirmities raised by this action. he said, in his testimony, "in ordering this blanket exception, president obama was nullifying part of a law that he simply disagreed with. if a president can claim sweeping discretion to suspend key federal laws, the entire legislative process becomes little more than a pretense. the circumvention of the legislative process not only undermines the authority of this branch" he's referring to legislative branch -- "but destabilizes the tripar tide system as a whole."

ending the previous administration's disrespect for the legislative process is an important first step. all immigration policies should serve the interests of the people of the united states. lawful immigrant and native-born alike. congress should carefully and thoughtfully pursue the types of reforms that are right for the american people. our nation is comprised of good and decent people who want their government's leaders to fulfill their promises and advance an immigration policy that serves the national interest. we are people of compassion and we are people of law, but there is nothing compassionate about the failure to enforce immigration laws. enforcing the law saves lives, protects communities and taxpayers and prevents human suffering. failure to enforce the laws in the past has put our nation at risk of crime,

terrorism. the compassionate thing to do is end the lawlessness, enforce our laws, and if congress chooses to make changes to those laws, to do so through the process set forth by our founders. in a way that advances the interests of the american people. that is what the president had promised to do and has delivered to the american people. under president trump's leadership, this administration has made great progress in the last few months toward establishing a lawful and constitutional immigration system. this makes us safer and more secure. it will further economically the lives of millions who are struggling, and it will ena abl our country to more effectively teach our i

system of government and to assimilate them to the cultural understandings that support it. the substantial progress in reducing illegal immigration at our border seen in recent months is almost entirely due to the leadership of president trump and his inspired immigration officers, but the problem is not yet solved, and without more action, we could see illegality rise again rather than be eliminated. as a candidate and now in office, president trump has offered specific ideas and legislative solutions that will protect american workers, increase wages and salaries, defend the national security, ensure the public safety, and increase the general well being of the american people. he has worked closely with many members of congress, including in the introduction

benefits for our country, and this is how our democratic process works. there are many powerful interest groups in the country, and every one of them has a constitutional right to advocate their views and represent whomever they choose, but the department of justice does not represent any narrow interest or any subset of the american people. we represent all the american people and protect the integrity of our constitution. that is our charge. we at the department of justice are proud and honored to work to advance this vision for america and to do our best each day to ensure the safety and security of the american people. thank you very much. >> will you use the personal information of daca recipients to deport them? >> attorney general sessions not taking any questions, reading off a prepared statement, announcing that the daca program -- this was the program th

immigrants who came to this country as children to remain in the country and to paperwowork. the administration rescinding it. he also used the term winding down. let's go to our host, moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, you're a football fan. did the administration just drop back and punt on this. >> that's one way of looking at it. there's a reason you heard the attorney general lay out a legal case against daca, not a political case against daca and that's always been the both problem and the controversy surrounding daca. the legal -- the legality around it is up for debate. it isn't clear cut. what the attorney general laid out there is true. it is vulnerable. it is -- when you do something via executive action, it is. it is vulnerable part and you could absolutely see lawsuits come in and question the constitutionality of it. the question, though, is, okay, if congress doesn't do anything, what happens to these 800,000

back to? for many of them, they don't really know of a home country. yes, they may have been born in another country, but they don't have a place to be deported to. so, this is a total punt to congress, and now we're going to have a long, drawnout political fight and as you know, lester, congress already has a big to-do list. throwing this top of it -- the issue of immigration is probably among the top issues that has fractured this country more than anything else, both political parties. now you throw that in the mix, can democrats live with funding the wall in exchange for protecting these folks. can republicans feel comfortable voting for a form of amnesty which is protecting these folks legally would do that if it -- and is the wall enough to keep them from having to deal with a primary challenge on the right. the politics of this are so complicated, lester. the legality was complicated enough, but t

has a strong legal case to make in withdrawing it. they just don't have a good political one. >> chuck, let me go to our chief white house correspondent hallie jackson. hallie, to what extent is the administration prepared to help and guide congress as they come up with a solution. >> reporter: i think that is one of the million dollar questions, lester, and it's a question that you've got about 800,000 people in this country looking to. it seems as though the president is working to put a little bit of distance between himself and this decision. putting attorney general jeff sessions out to make this announcement from the department of justice rather than announcing it himself, for example, if we continue to see that distance, this is a ball that's going to be picked up and potentially run with by congress but what does happen next to some of these daca recipients, these so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers, in conversations with the senior department of homeland security official, we know these protections are expire on a rolling basis. there are no plans, dhs says, to target these daca

these d.r.e.a.m.ers but when the protections expire and if congress does nothing, then at the end of the time period, we are being told these daca recipients will be treated like any other undocumented imgranted. the priority, according to this administration is to prioritize the deportation of people who have committed other criminal offenses, who have committed other crimes besides being in this country illegally and when you talk about personal information, there are no plans to use that personal information given by these daca recipients given to the government to deport them but it could be provided if requested by law enforcement. >> let me go to casey hunt on capitol hill. casey, this cuts across republican and democratic lines in terms of vulnerability. is there a giant stomach ache right now in capitol hill? >> reporter: lester, this congress has struggled to make any kinds of compromises in the trump administration, and this, as chuck pointed out, is an issue that fractures both sides, brings out incredible emotion. the reality here is there are republicans who want to extend a

lindsey graham, the senator from south carolina, has sponsored a bill to that effect. there are a lot of republicans who are worried about the business community, which has been very vocal in saying they want these people to be able to continue working for their businesses. but this is going to require democrats, because there's going to be the right wing of the party that is just not going to accept it. they are talking a little bit behind the scenes, do you couple this with funding for the border wall to try to get enough people to vote for it, but backing the border wall that president trump campaigned on is impossible for so many of the democrats here in congress, and look, the reality is, democrats and republicans are going to have to compromise if they want to help these people. we've seen no evidence so far that they are going to be able to do that. >> all right, casey hunt, thanks again. again, the administration now essentially winding down daca and giving congress six months now to come up with its own solution. we want to quickly switch to another big story we're covering right now that we need to

hurricane irma, now an extremely dangerous category 5 storm as it bears down on the caribbean. let's get the late frst from al roker on that. >> it's been interesting to watch this intensify. in the last 36 hours, it's gone from a 3 to a 5 and right now, it is a category 5 storm with 180-mile-per-hour winds. last time we came close to this was wilma back in 2005. track of this keeps it just to the north of puerto rico. thursday, it's just north of hispanola. friday morning, near cuba and then sunday, it's in between havana and miami and the florida straits. we're going to be watching this very closely. right now, we've got hurricane watches up for the coast of hispanola, san juan, and the leeward islands under hurricane warnings. tropical storm warnings also. this ensemble, this is what we put together, we

different models as they come and they're all together pretty well saturday afternoon coming either through the bahamas of just north of cuba. by monday, they make this turn and by tuesday, it's a little more focused on florida and to the west of florida, but as you can see now, we're starting to see a lot more of these strands coming out over into the mid atlantic states so we're going to be watching this very closely, lester. if this makes landfall, it would be the first time ever in the same season we've had a category 4 storm or higher make landfall twice, two storms of category 4 strength or higher so this could be devastating. that's why everybody in the gulf all the way up to the mid atlantic has to continue to watch this. >> all right, thank you for the update on irma. stay with msnbc and nbcnews.com for the latest on hurricane irma, also the daca decision and of course we're following the crisis over north korea. i'll have the latest on all of it tonight on nbc "nightly news." for now, i'm lester holt, nbc

welcome back to news4 midday. you've been watching that nbc news special report with attorney general jeff sessions announcing the end to daca, albeit with that six-month delay that will allow congress to perhaps preserve it in some fashion. this is going to have tremendous consequences for so in families right here in our area. the state of maryland has approved nearly 20,000 daca cases. virginia, even more so, and while most daca recipients are from mexico, certain counties like montgomery and prince george's have a high share of children -- immigrant children who have come here from africa. again, we're going to stay on top of this story, bring you all the developments and how it's affecting families here in our area. we'll be bringing that to you on air and of course on the nbc washington app. ahead of the attorney general's announcement that you just heard, protesters were out

in front of the white house. the group then started marching to the immigration and customs enforcement office. in the next half hour, you're going to hear how maryland senator chris van hollen reacted to today's announcement. a man is dead after collapsing inside a metro station. this is happening right now at the columbia heights stop in northwest washington. we're told the man was found unconscious at the bottom of an escalator and he died when he was rushed to the hospital. investigators are being careful to call this a death investigation. our crew is going to stay there at the scene to update you just as soon as new information comes in. all right. today is the day. thousands of students in our area are back in class this morning with all the excitement and, yeah, anxiety, too, that comes with it. our own justin finch is reliving his school days right about now. he's live at jackson road elementary

hey, justin. >> reporter: hey there, chris. that's right. you know, the first day of school's almost like new year's day, a time to set new goals and look ahead for the school year and hopefully do better. it is a contagious energy and one that drew out superintendent jack smith today as well as county executive ike leggitt as well as senator chris van hollen who are here to welcome students, teachers and parents in montgomery county as they continue to see growth out here. >> there you go, sir. have a good day. >> reporter: what a treat. montgomery county public school superintendent jack smith serving up a back to school bite. >> how about you, what would you like? one of those. and some milk. >> good morning. >> reporter: on a postcard perfect morning, smith joined jackson road elementary as it opened its doors. >> good morning. hello. >> reporter: welcoming students who could not wait to get back and those a bit slower to let go. but soon, they could be like brother and sister

lancy keir. >> it's cool. >> reporter: excited to start a final school year together at paint branch high. new school year, new opportunities, what are you two looking forward to the most. >> i guess just creating lasting experiences, because it's my last year, and i'm going to miss this place as much as i don't want to say it. i'm going to miss it. >> i'm going to miss my brother, so this is the last year i can spend with him and i'm looking forward to getting better grades. >> reporter: superintendent smith also stopped at paint branch, one of montgomery's 205 schools. the county's largest school district is growing. >> reach for the stars, right? >> reporter: enrollment at a record 161,000, up by more than 2,000 students so they've hired more teachers. the count now, close to 1,000, and they're not finished. >> we're about 98% staffed and just looking for a few more teachers in the coming weeks. >> reporter: so, a wave of new teachers needed, new students enrolling. today,

school out here, silver creek middle out in kensington and the growth really is continuing, they say. >> you mentioned the numbers going way up. school officials telling you why? >> reporter: yeah, chris, year after year, they're seeing a consistent pattern of growth out here in montgomery county. their thoughts are that there are a lot of young families moving out here with children. of course, those families are drawn to the education level out here and those kids, of course, need some place to go to school, and they are landing in these montgomery county public schools. we are live from silver spring. i'm justin finch. back in to you, chris. >> thank you, justin. moms and dads always looking for good schools. i sent my oldest daughter off to first grade today and a lot of you did the same. students went back to school in calvert, charles, and st. mary, and kids from washington and howard counties are about halfway through their first day as wal

alexandria, fredericksburg and frederick, maryland. so many hustling parents and school buses back on the road, traffic was bumper to bumper. transportation reporter adam tuss was working for you this morning, high in the sky from chopper 4. >> reporter: terrible traffic tuesday, september slowdown, september shock, whatever you call it, be prepared for more traffic on the roads and it's because, yes, we have the school bulg bul buses out here mixing with the regular traffic and everyone's trying to get in their directions at the same time. we've got a lot of people who need to pay attention to these school buses that are out here as they make stops and pick people up. i want to show you a look at the outer loop of the beltway and show you how many people are kind of out and about in their routines now and what we're going to start to see on a regular basis here. this is the outer loop near silver spring and you can see just how many people are loaded up out here. you're really going to have to start paying more attention to your commute times because aaa

says we could be seeing 20% to 30% more traffic out here on the roads. it is something to pay attention to as we go through the next couple weeks. we're talking about people coming back from vacations, people going back to school but it's also when congress comes back in session around here that things really start to get jumbled up, so be aware, it's going to get a little slow in the coming weeks. guys, back to you. new in just the last hour, a man accused of running over and killing a little boy spent only a year behind bars. john miller is no longer charged with manslaughter. he struck tristan schultz and tristan's mother in lancetown almost a year ago today. tristan was 5 months old and was killed by that impact. prosecutors say there was nothing they could do. they couldn't prove manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt. miller is still charged with reckless driving, which has a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. reaction is

on the breaking news we brought you at the top of the newscast. the attorney general announces the end of daca. what local lawmakers think of that decision, it's going to leave thousands of undocumented immigrants in limbo. plus, today, friends and family will say good-bye to a man killed as he was trying to help a stranger. after the break, hear from the

♪ sun to the farm ♪ ♪ to the seeds that you sow ♪ ♪ seed to the oat ♪ to get made to an o ♪ put in the good and the good will grow ♪

♪ seed to the oat to the o. it's the good that we do ♪ ♪ put in the good, and the good will come back to you ♪ ♪ this circle of good. makes the whole world better too. ♪ ♪ good goes around...and around...and around. ♪ ♪ good goes around...and around...and around. ♪ ♪ good goes around and around.

we're following breaking news involving the trump administration's decision to end a program that will impact hundreds of thousands of people here in the u.s. just minutes ago, attorney general jeff sessions announced the end of the program known as daca. it allows young, undocumented immigrants who came here as children to stay in the u.s. now, there will be a six-month wind-down. sessions says that's to give congress time to act on it. >> immigration policies should serve the interests of the people of the united states, lawful immigrant and native-born alike. congress should carefully and thoughtfully pursue the types of reforms that are right for the american people. >> these are kids who came to the united states at a young age through no fault of their own. they've grown up as americans. they've done well in our schools. it's disgraceful to threaten to kick them out now. >> president trump talked about daca in a tweet this morning,

do its job. now to a story you'll only see on news4. a family in maryland is remembering their beloved father who was killed in a hit and run in beltsville. this morning, friends and family lay jorge rios to rest. he was one of two good samaritans who got run over. his family spoke exclusively with pat collins. >> he's always been a person to stop and to help anyone in need and he's always told me that. >> reporter: it came as no surprise to nicole rios that her father would die trying to help someone in need. >> so painful that him being a good person ended his life. but it just shows -- it better shows who he is and like that's not going to stop me from wanting to help anyone. >> reporter: it happened in the dark hours of the morning one week ago. th

cuts through the agricultural department's farm in beltsville. the family tells the story this way. two good samaritans stopped to help drivers involved in an accident. the two good samaritans end up getting killed by a hit and run driver. one of the victims, 52-year-old jorge rios. he loved animals. he loved motorcycles, and he loved his family. >> i hope he's proud of me to see how hard this has been but how i have to just pretty much keep going. but it's been very hard. >> reporter: going to miss him. >> of course. very much. he's my dad. my best friend. >> reporter: mr. rios lived about two and a half miles from the hit and run scene. he was a fixture in the neighborhood, a carpenter by trade. he built this special house for

lucas's dog. it has a picture window, lights, carpeting, even heat. lucas was with him when this happened. he was rescued by a neighbor. >> the worst part about it is he was trying to help someone else when he lost his life but jorge was a good guy. i could see it. >> reporter: i'm pat collins, news4. >> the kind of heroism when he put your own life at risk to help someone else. u.s. park police are in charge of this investigation but so far, they have not made my arrests in the case. developing right now, the search continues for a man wanted in a deadly double murder in charles county. deputies say brian pierce shot two men outside a home yesterday afternoon. one of them died at the scene. the second is in serious condition. deputies found pierce's car on friendship landing road near marina. investigators are still trying to figure out what led up to the shooting. the sheriff's office says extra patrols have been deployed

this morning. what would you do? you're driving on the beltway. you see hundreds of dollars just floating in the air. well, most people would probably stop and that's just what happened to dozens of drivers in kentucky where it seemed labor day turned lucky. turns out, it was all just a very late april fool's joke. those hundreds and 50s floating around, all fake. in fact, if you fake a closer look, you can see the line about, for motion picture use only. police say they're still trying to figure out where all that fake cash came from. the groundskeeper is out there trying to corral the goose. >> how about this for an animal story. this goose just refused to hit the skies and take flight. it flapped on to the field at the delmar shore birds game and would not leave. in fact, right now, veterinarians are checking it out at a shelter to make sure it's okay. the goose landed in the outfield and the team had to stop playing until it wentwa

able to carry the goose off the field. from a goose to a lobster that can predict the weather. and 170 films from more than 30 countries, how you c seean

you saw al roker tracking this storm in the nbc news special report. we're also keeping tabs on another big storm. irma has strengthened to a category 5 hurricane and it is now barrelling towards the caribbean and quite possibly the u.s. it's expected to arrive in the leeward islands today and move toward puerto rico on wednesday. nbc's morgan brad ford is in san juan where authorities are urging residents to take it seriously. >> reporter: this is what you ca call the calm before the storm. a state of emergency has already been issued in florida and here in puerto rico ahead of this now category 5 hurricane irma. that means today is all about preparation. thepl

look, we get it, we're caribbean people, we're used to heavy wind and rain, especially during this time of the year, but a category 5, that's a completely different beast. that's why the national guard has already been activated. more than 200 fema troops are already on the ground and emergency shelters have been set up all throughout the island. meanwhile, back in florida, people are gearing up with food, gasoline, supplies, because authorities there are saying we can't afford not to pay attention to hurricane irma. already 67 counties there are under a state of emergency. this is a event that has been described as catastrophic, as major, as life threatening and one that's barrelling toward us as we speak. for mcnew -- nbc news, i'm morg radford. >> if it truly comes ashore, even boarding up the windows are going to make a difference. >> they're at 180 miles per hour right now. so they have

couple hours. we're going to show you exactly where we think it could impact the united states. there is no direct impact right now, but again, we are going to watch to see what exactly is going to happen. so let's go ahead and get to our weather first because i want to break it down. we do have some rain in the forecast for later on this afternoon. just some scattered showers through your wednesday and then as we head out through thursday and even into the weekend, we are going to be dry. a lot of people are already asking me questions, hey, i got a wedding this weekend, what's happening on sunday, you know, i'm flying out of town. it looks fine right now. for us. on this weekend. then after the weekend, monday, tuesday, that's when we could start to see some impacts from irma. not direct impacts, but again, some impacts. so let me show you what we're talking about. current temperatures right now in the upper 70s, lower 80s. where we're going to warm up today in the mid to upper 80s. it's going to be warm and breezy as we head into the afternoon.

school pick-up, that rain will push east as we go through the evening commute. this is all due to a frontal system. if you had a few strong storms west of winchester into west virginia, those are lifting to the north and east at about 40 miles per hour but we could also have some storms with this frontal system as it pushes to the east so that's something we're going to watch. here's your time at 11:30. there goes those storms that were in west virginia, scooting north of winchester. washington county, here comes the line that goes through the region. again, right in time for the evening commute and we're going to keep a chance for some showers all the way through the late evening and unfortunately through the day tomorrow. tomorrow a lot cooler, only low 70s with scattered light showers throughout the day. you can see this eye, very well defined right there and as it continues to barrel in on the lesser an titilles, that streng has gone up a little bit. that front passing through our area today will stall to th

help aid really where this hurricane goes. we've got a bermuda high setting out over bermuda so that's going to help the track of this go right into florida, it looks like. couple things i want to mention. beware of social media. maybe just get all of your information from credible meteorologist. i've seen so many things on social media, you want to face palm because it's a lot of not factual information. the track is becoming more clear, it looks like it's going to stay a major hurricane. there's going to be some track in those errors, about 225 miles, four to five days out. let me show you the track. winds are 185 miles per hour. scoot just to the north of costa rica and north of cuba, the florida strait, the keys, category 4, we'll have to watch and see where it turns after this but this is the cone of uncertainty so anywhere within that cone we really could see impacts. weekendoi

for us but then after monday ndk tuesday, we're going to have to watch for irma. >> well, if you're looking for weather information and you don't want to trust a credible meteorologist who's spent years studying the science behind the weather, there's always maine's passy pete who has us covered for summer. every september, the lobster is plucked from the water but rather than using his shadow, passy pete uses his claw to select from two scrolls. passy pete actually predicted six more weeks of summer in maine. we'll see if his prediction holds. right now, we're covering some breaking news. we're just getting this in. officials have closed the entrance to washington adventist hospital. montgomery county firefighters tell us they're investigating a chemical spill and some people are being told to shelter in place. this hospital is on carroll avenue. you can look for updates on the nbwa

look. >> from an nation to rap to outer space, just a few of the short films featured in this year's d.c. short film festival. movie maker magazine calls it one of the best film festivals in the world. now in its 14th year, the festival starts thursday and runs through september 17

of programming. welcome. thank you for being with us. for folks who don't know, what qualifies as a short film? are we talking a few minutes, under an hour? >> a little bit of both. we tend to go by the motion picture arts and sciences, who define a short film as 40 minutes or under. and for us, that just made sense to sort of use that as the category. for us in particular, our shortest film is a minute and it's great and our longest is about 29 and a half so they go between a minute and 30 minutes. >> how were these particular films chosen. >> it's a pretty rigorous. we got 1,508 submissions, which is a record for us, which is fabulous. and we use a screening committee. there's about 150 people just like you and i, members of the community who really support what we do. they like film. so they provide their feedback, and that sort of gives us a pool. we narrow that 1,500 down to about 500 and then myself and jasmine bryant, who's the assistant director of programming, sort of watch them all and figure out what makes e

particular festival. >> where can folks screen them. >> most everything we do the first week, thursday to thursday, is at landmark e street theater and then we move to the miracle theater at the end of the week for our screen play competition and our best of fest. we have an all access pass which really is an all access and that allows them to see it online as part of their access that they can actually go online and see the films at their leisure. >> the great thing about this festival is it -- if you're a film buff like i am, there's a chance to actually talk to some of the filmmakers about their process, how they developed their script, how they shot the movie, really incredible stuff. >> and absolutely. and that is one of the joys of a film festival. not many of these films can be seen on screen anyway. you have to go to something like a film festival but it's just the fact that you have somebody there who made the film, who crafted the film, and you as an audience member always have these questions of why did they do this shot or that shot and it's a way to actually ask the question to those who made the

interested in making your own film some day, it's a great time to sort of get in the head of a real filmmaker. >> and they're very willing and able to answer your questions. they're very good. >> do you have -- it's hard. it's like choosing your baby, but do you have a favorite? >> i do. but i'm not going to tell you. i'm going to, like, talk to you, come out of the festival, see me and say, what was your favorite. because there are documentaries and features and animation and i really have a favorite of all. but a good way, not necessarily my favorite but people's favorite and the jury's favorite, the end of the week we do best of fest, jury award winners and jens awaaudience aw winners and we present them at the miracle theater so you can see what other favorites were. >> joe, thank you very much. pleasure having you. >> come out and see us. >> all right, again, starts thursday. >> thursday, september 7th through the 17th, landmark e street theater and miracle theater. >> there you go. going to say thank you to joe. can't wait to get throughout and see some of those films.

got plans to make you laugh like it's 11:30 at night. steve's going to explai he's our pediatrician, dr. ralph northam. born and raised in rural virginia went to vmi. trained at johns hopkins. an army doctor who treated soldiers seriously wounded in the gulf war. eighteen years as volunteer medical director of a children's hospice. as lt. governor, he's fighting to expand healthcare in virginia. he'll get it done as governor.

and we need to provide access to affordable healthcare for all virginians, not take it away.

well, the royals are making headlines this week. for the first time, prince harry's girlfriend is talking about their relationship publicly. actre actress meghan markle is on the cover of

helping her navigate the press interest in their relationship. they were able to date quietly for about six months before everyone caught on. she also hinted at her future saying, i'm sure there will be a time when we have to come forward and present ourselves but this is our time. all right. he is one of the busiest men in television and today, comedian steve harvey starts the new season of his daytime show which has changed its name to simply "steve." but that's really only the beginning of the changes. i'm pleased to welcome steve harvey himself. steve, i understand you have moved. >> yeah. i mean, i had to move everything. you know, i was in chicago doing this talk show for five years. it was really great, you know, the city was great. the people were great. but as i sat there, i said, man, it's time to reinvent yourself and so i said, what's the best way to do it and i said i'm going to bring late night to daytime. so i was bouncingac

between l.a., chicago, atlanta, "family feud" was in atlanta, talk show was in chicago and everything else was in l.a. i said, okay, what's the one city i can move everything to and stop some of this flying three times a week so i came to l.a., launching the new show today. i'm excited. it's going to be big. it's going to be a little bit different. it's going to be steve harvey's comedy packed into one hour every single day. >> i got to ask you, steve. i lived in chicago and i also spent about eight years out in santa monica so i can definitely understand the appeal of l.a. one of the things i've always loved about the show is when you get a chance to sit down with celebrities and really bring things out of them that you don't see on other shows. how's the new show changed? >> well, the new show is going to be a lot more celebrities are going to be here, so i'll be bringing out a lot more from those guys. a lot of them are friends of mine or at least i've known i

that's going to be great but i'm going to walk out like on late night, do a monologue, i'll probably do a one topic monologue. i don't like 15 different jokes. i'm not that style of comedian. i'm a story teller so i'll walk out, do my style of comedy, one subject of jokes for a few minutes and then go over to my desk, got some more comedy at the desk, got a great game we created called harvey's hundreds where i sppull an unsuspecting audience member out of the audience, give them a chance to win up to $1,000 every single day and then we open up today with chelsea handler and marlon wayans and two really mentally imbalanced people. really, something wrong with both of them and there's been something wrong with me so you have three ignorant people on tv today and then i'll bring out ice cube this week, jay leno, charlie sheen's

week. it's going to be a lot of fun, man. you probably don't want to miss this. >> we're all looking forward to it just a few hours away. thank you very much, steve harvey. again, you can watch "steve" today at 2:00 right here on nbc4. if we are lucky, we will all have that one close friend that's really more like family, but would you donate a critical organ to save their life? for a deputy in charles county, the answer is yes, and now he's going to have his best friend for many years to come. news4's tracee wilkins has their story. >> reel it up. >> reel it in. >> reporter: precious family moments like this one were numbered for frederick until his friend andrew stepped in. >> he's my best friend so there was no cutting corners with that. >> reporter: frederick and andrew have been friends since childhood. they're both charles county deputies just like their dads were. they even have the same birthday. and now they share something else.

with a huge chunk of him inside of you now? >> i mean, it's some weight off me. >> yeah. >> good luck, buddy. >> reporter: for 13 years, fredericks battled a degenerative kidney disease. >> i knew eventually i would need a kidney transplant. i didn't know it would be this soon. >> reporter: and incredibly. >> i ended up being a perfect match. >> doctors say the surgery performed has added decades to frederick's life because the organ came from a living donor. >> you want me to cast it? >> no. >> reporter: the plan is to make the most of moments like this one, moments his best friend helped make possible. >> i lost a part, and still have the other half, and they said it will do just as much work. >> and you still have him. >> still have him, yep. >> reporter: so it may be a few months before frederick can get back to work, but andrew is thinking it's just going to be

georgetown hospital is consistently reminding folks of their live donor program and they're hoping that more people will make the decision to help to save a life. in southern maryland, news4. >> two friends, the bond stronger than ever. let's get you one last check of the weather before you head out the door. >> they thehey there. not only are we watching hurricane irma right now, a very strong cat 5 hurricane, winds at 180 miles an hour but on the heels of that, we've got now tropical storm jose that has also just formed as the 11:00 a.m. update has come out. it's going to hang out in the atlantic for a little bit as this one heads toward the florida straits just around the florida keys so we'll continue to watch that. amelia and doug will have updates for you. expect rain showers after 2:00 or 3:00 this afternoon. continuing overnight, scattered light showers tomorrow through the day. >> all right, thank you. so again, if you're heading out the door, grab that umbrella. that's going to do it for news4 midday.

us. we're back on the air this afternoon, first at 4:00.

stabbed stand by, everyone. we're live in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. oh, look at her. she's so gorgeous! she's maybe a modern-day princess! megan margo behind the scenes with "vanity fair" saying they are two people who are really happy and in love. welcome to "access hollywood." kit, i woke up to this news this morning. she's talking now, admitting they're deeply in love. back after a long holiday weekend. >> by the way, we are finally back last week. how is it taking the boys to school? >> my first time getting to enjoy taking them to the bus stop. i'm like, wow, this is what i've been missing all of these years, because usually i'm working at those hours f