diplomas they didn't earn. >> we begin with our weather as rain moves into the d.c. metro region. >> yes, here's a live look at the conditions from our storm team 4-by-4. in dicker son by sugar loaf. some drivers have been dodging rain drops for the evening commute and it will not be tapering off until later tonight. >> amelia draper is here with a look at what is happening now and what's coming next. hey, amelia, we haven't had a rainy day like this in a while. >> yeah, a rainy evening. when folks are heading out to do holiday shopping, know you're going to be dealing with some rain drops. thankfully we're not talking about frigid temperatures, at least tonight. that moves in tomorrow. take a look, though, at storm team4 radar right now. you can see light rain pretty much in all of montgomery county. this includes clarksburg by the outlets, poolesville, late enz ville and maryland, damascus continuing up into frederick, 270 and 70, a wet ride right

you can see the lanham area, the beltway dealing with this rain, up towards vans ville, chill um, light rain now. pretty much everybody seeing the rain except for those of you in extreme southern maryland down through the north. it is quickly moving to the area and we'll continue to track showers for the rest of the evening hours. but the temperatures not that bad right now. in the 50s, and low 60s. it's early december. i'm tracking more december-like temperatures moving in. doreen, i'll have more on that coming up at 6:25. >> amelia, thank you. new developments tonight in a high-profile police shooting case that left an unarmed black man dead and sparked protests on the streets of d.c. d.c.'s police chief says the death of terrence sterling was unjustified. the officer who pulled the trigger didn't follow protocol and there are calls to have him fired from the mpd force. today's announcement comes after the u.s. attorney's office said there wasn't enough evidence to press criminal charges against that police office

amid nationwide protests over police shootings that shed light on race relations in this country. news4's mark segraves has a closer look at the findings and the fallout. >> reporter: the internal police review found that the police officer's use of force in shooting and killing terrence sterling was unjustified and recommended that the officer be fired. >> i did meet with the family early on before the lawsuit was filed. i am very empathetic to the fact that they have lost a son. they have been incredibly patient throughout this entire proceeding. >> reporter: terrence sterling was shot and killed by police officer brian trainer in september of 2016 after they had been chasing sterling on his motorcycle. police say sterling reached speeds of 100 miles per hour and tested positive for marijuana and being intoxicated. police also say trainer, who was the passenger in the police

fired two shots at sterling after the officer's blocked sterling's motorcycle with their cruiser and sterling ran into the cruiser's passenger door. sterling was not armed. some witnesses have said publicly they didn't think the officer was in danger when he fired the shots. but in august, the u.s. attorney's office announced they were not going to charge the officer with any crimes. a decision that outraged sterling's family and friends. >> sterling's family is suing the city. in a statement, the family said they are encouraged by the review board's findings, but question now whether the district apartments attorney general is ready to settle their lawsuit. >> suffice it to say that in all difficult cases, and this one is incredibly difficult, it's been my view that the best result for the city often involves a fair resolution that's fair to the family and fair to the district. >> reporter: now, we'll have to wait and see what the attorney general does as far as that

it's up to him. he can accept the review board's recommendation that he be terminated and simply move on with his life, or he can file an objection to that and go before another review board and see what happens there. that could take another two to three months. that's the very latest. back to you guys in the studio. >> okay, mark segraves reporting. thank you, mark. >> $40, roughly the cost of a tank of gas. that was the peak of today's toll prices on i-66 inside the beltway during the morning rush hour. one way, 40 bucks. the tolls are keeping the traffic moving, but now some virginia lawmakers say this has got to change. news4's david culver is live along 66. he's in arlington with the new voices that are now chiming in on this hot debate. david. >> reporter: the hot debate indeed, wendy. it did not take long for this

politicized. less than 24 hours since those tolls went into effect yesterday, and here we are lawmakers now speaking out. in fact, late today, virginia's republican house caucus says something needs to be done to make travel in these lanes more affordable. >> we are already seeing improved travel times. >> reporter: vdot says the 66 express lanes are moving smoothly, but for some it's not been cheap. if you are driving 66 inside the beltway this morning, then you saw tolls soar to $40. that's one way. now one loudoun county lawmaker hopes to cap that high price, and he wants to shrink the rush hour time back to the original three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. giving drivers more time to drive toll free. b >> but this is just way over the top. it would only be affordable for people who are megamillionaires. that's not

>> reporter: that is supervisor ron meyer. >> we weren't really properly informed on how high the tolls would be. and the public wasn't. nobody in the public knew. >> reporter: we've heard from many of you. barbara posted on the nbc washington facebook page. like we don't pay enough taxes in virginia already. now this? insane. but heather writes, this road was completely inaccessible to a single driver last week. unless you were cheating. let's keep perspective. >> i think people are willing to pay a reasonable, an affordable and appropriate toll to use the service they didn't have access to before. >> reporter: he's now drafting a resolution he hopes will send a message to the commonwealth to cap the tolls. >> if you put a cap on it, it's not going to work as well. but the whole reason that we're doing this is to provide a more manageable, a more consistent commute. >> reporter: so, here's vdot's concern. if you put a cap on the tolls, you then clog up these lanes. you add more congestion to

advertise not only the prices, but the times from point a to point b. he said then drivers will know if it's going to be a slower commute and that's what they get for their money. wendy? >> you need your calculator while you're driving. all right. thank you, david. >> reporter: i know. >> d.c. mayor muriel bowser has hired an outside independent firm now to look into attendance policies and procedures at all d.c. public schools. this comes after an investigation by national public radio and wamu radio revealed dozens of students graduated last june from ballou high school in southeast d.c. when they shouldn't have. only 57 out of 164 students who got diplomas were on track to graduate. as a result, the principal was reassigned to another position in the district. >> and a prestigious local private school has launched a review after two alumni report abuse by a former teacher. it's the landon school.

a teacher who has not been there for more than 50 years and is no longer living. but in light of the recent reports, the school says it has acquired a third-party firm for others to report any concerns. the school is also consulting with outside experts to look at landon's policies and practices. >> sexual harassment allegations and end a long political career. michigan congressman john conyers is retiring effective immediately. leon harris in the newsroom with all the details on this. leon? >> doreen, it wasn't just a long career. it was a historically long career. up until today, john conyers was the longest-serving current member of congress considered the dean of the house with 52 years of service there. but the sexual harassment allegations against him cost him the support of the democratic leadership and today conyers called in to a detroit radio show to say he is going to retire, and not res

against him are false. >> whatever they are, they are not accurate or they're not true, and i think that they're something that i can't explain where they came from. >> congressman conyers was first elected to congress back in 1964. he's one of the founders of the congressional back congress -- caucus, rather, and his seat is going to be filled now in a special election, and he's endorsing his son, john conyers iii for that job. he also has a great nephew wlos in the michigan state senate who has also expressed some interest in having that seat. john conyers submitted a one-sentence retirement letter after announcing his decision, and doreen, the house clerk has just now read that letter on the floor which makes it official. >> all right. thank you, leon. on capitol hill hundreds showed up to protest the gop tax bill. protesters

representatives including virginia congresswoman barbara comstock. they are pushing them not to pass the final version of the bill. several people were arrested here today. opponents say the bill gives the rich est americans a huge tax break while leaving the middle class with a burden. >> well, this could lead to changes in the way funeral homes operate in the district of columbia. today the city's attorney general revealed a report on funeral home practices. news4's chris gordon just learned that one facility, the austin royster funeral home, in north west d.c., was closed because it charged grieving families for services it did not provide. >> reporter: the d.c. government seized five bodies and 103 cremated remains from the austin royster funeral home in november. since then only one body has been returned to a family for burial. the d.c. attorney general's office is trying to get reimbursement for the families to bury their loved

go and find additional resources to pay for services that they thought they already paid for. >> reporter: la von bond said she paid the austin royster funeral home more than $2,500 for her mother diane's funeral. she said she's still trying to get a refund to give her mother a proper funeral almost a month after her death. >> i had no clue. i have no -- i really don't know where to start. >> reporter: the attorney general's office is announcing results of its investigation into the funeral home industry in d.c., discovering a wide range of prices for services. the attorney general sent a warning letter to nine of the 38 funeral homes in d.c., demanding their price lists. only one funeral home responded. d. d.c. sent in under cover investigators and found prices ranged from $960 to $

just over $2100. >> we think it even more important consumers know there are funeral homes that might charge less money. >> reporter: he's asking the d.c. council to pass what he calls the funeral bill of rights, which if enacted, would be the first time they have changed the way funerals are regulated in the district since 1984. reporting from northwest washington, chris gordon, news4. >> free speech or discrimination? >> that's the question before the nation's highest court. as debate over a wedding cake comes to a head. >> a local community hopes traffic cameras can save lives on this dangerous road, but they'll have to change the law to make it happen. why aaa says it's a step in the wrong direction. >> find a great gift online, going to need a total stranger to make it happen? be careful. holiday do's and don' coming upts.

what if we could keep more amof what we earn?d. trillions of dollars going back to taxpayers. who could possibly be against that? well, the national debt is $20 trillion. as we keep adding to it, guess who pays the bill? him. and her. and her. congress, we should grow the economy. not the debt. ♪

♪ [orchestr♪ uning up] ♪ ♪ take on your retirement, with a medicare supplemental plan from carefirst medplus, the name you know and trust. here for today, and whatever comes next. medicare supplemental plans from carefirst medplus. live fearless. find a medicare plan for you at carefirst.com/gomedplus and right now on storm team4 radar tracking rain moving into parts of charles county and prince george's county, clinton, waldorf, all along 301, now seeing light to moderate rain. we also have the storm team 4-by-4 in darnestown tracking the latest conditions on area roads. i'll contin

the evening hours and behind it arctic air moves in. more on that, doreen, at 6:45. >> looks wet out there. thanks, amelia. now to the cake and the court. at first glance today, supreme court case might not seem as weighty as some others, but there are some serious issues at stake. in a case that explores the boundaries between freedom of expression and protection from discrimination, blayne alexander is at the supreme court to break it down for us. blayne? >> reporter: well, doreen, certainly this is one of the most closely watched cases of this term. now, the attorney for the baker in this case says that providing a cake for a same-sex wedding would essentially be the same as saying, i approve of this union. but the state of colorado says that not providing the cake is discrimination. outside the supreme court, a crowd divided. on one side demonstrators supporting colorado baker jack phillips, who refused to bake a custom wedding cake for a sameex

[cheering and applauding] >> reporter: on the other, supporters of david mullen and charlie craig, denied that cake in 2012. the question at the center, is a cake considered free speech? >> this has never been about a cake. this isn't about weddings. this is about freedom. >> reporter: but phillips' attorneys argue his cakes are artistic expressions, speech protected by the first amendment and he should not be forced to create for an event to which he is deeply opposed. >> creating, allows me to create my artistic vision to create works of art that are beautiful, distinctive and that mark the beginning of something sacred. >> reporter: the court's critical swing vote justice anthony kennedy, asking whether this would open the door for stores to post signs saying no cakes for gay weddings, but also concerned about protecting philip's religious rights. justices clearly wrestling with where to draw the

>> do we allow the baker, then, how about the hair stylist, how about the invitation, how about the photographer. how about the florist. >> reporter: a case that goes beyond cake, beyond colorado. questioning the line between freedom of speech and discrimination. now, this is considered to be one of the most important cases this term. doreen, we can expect to see a decision come down sometime before court adjourns this summer. back to you. >> all right, blayne alexander reporting. thank you. a flash survey asked if you think businesses should be able to refuse service based on religious beliefs. the vast majority of people who have answered online say, no. they'll take a deeper dive into this debate when nbc's pete williams joins us on the set at 6:45. and we hope you can stay with us then. >> two new developments that involved the special counsel's russia investigation. today a federal judge ordered paul manafort to prove he did not violate a court order after the special counsel withdr

support for his bail agreement. and questions about whether another member of the trump transition team tried to cover up a russia connection. first let's go to manafort. today the judge ordered him to show he has not violated his gag order after prosecutors reported that manafort was ghost writing an op-ed about his political work for ukraine. they say he was writing that essay with the help of a long-time colleague who has ties to russian intelligence. and katie mcfarland's nomination to become ambassador to singapore may be in jeopardy. she was mike flynn's deputy. nbc news reports she was flynn's contact when he called mar-a-lago during the transition to talk about reaching out to the russian ambassador. mcfarland did not disclose those calls to the senate foreign relations committee when he was questioned. republican committee chair bob corker says that omission causes what he called a major pause in mcfarla n

>> big news about the next olympics today. russia has been banned from competing in the upcoming winter olympics over doping allegations. the international olympic committee says it has evidence of orchestrated state-sponsored doping at the 2014 games in sochi. these are some of the russian athletes who are clean and say they should still be allowed to compete. well, they can, just not for their country. they'll have to compete under the name olympic athlete from russia and wear a uniform with that name on it. we are just over two months away now from the start of the game. you can watch all the action right here on news4. >> and this is a story that may impact your dinner plans or lunch plans. three locations of five guys restaurants chain are shut down now because the owners allegedly failed to pay $530,000 in sales taxes. the restaurants are on i street in northwest, second street in northeast, the f

southwest. the city says it was forced to cancel the restaurant's sales tax certificates which are required for the restaurants to operate. >> up in smoke, the delivery drama at the height of the holiday season, why some people may not even know they're affected. >> and a wedding nightmare, the shipping mix up that left a local bride without her dream dress just days before she walked down the aisle. >> and we're tracking rain for the evening commute. lauren is in the storm team4

the rain is back and it's affecting the ride home for a lot of people in our area. we told you it was coming and tonight we have team coverage. >> lauren is tracking the conditions. she's out on the road but we're going to start with amelia with a look at what is happening now and what's a coming. >> colds air is a coming into the area and it's going to be here tomorrow. we're dealing with rain out there this evening. not too bad, though. temperatures around 60 degrees. >> we know rain. it is at least it's not ice. >> exactly. it is starting to get to that time of year when you're looking at the forecast and trying to factor in is snow or ice a

we'll show you exactly where the rain is falling. finally it is avenue moved into southern maryland. the la plata area, hill top seeing the rain along 301. i'm taking you north. this is up around frederick county, back into washington county where you can see some rain around frederick and around the louis ton and boonz borough area as well. traveling along 70, rain in thursday mont even moderate rain in the thurman t area. pretty much everybody dealing with rain up and down 95. both the d.c. and baltimore beltways dealing with at least light showers out there right now. but as i mentioned the temperatures, take a look, 61 in manassas, and 57 degrees in washington. it's not until tomorrow when that cold air moves in. so, just the rain tonight. and speaking of the rain, of course, it's leading to wet roads across the area. i know a lot of people get their holiday shopping done this time of year after work.

she's in north potomac right now. what are you seeing, lauren? >> well, we are seeing some rain that continues to fall throughout the region right here, amelia. took awhile to fill in, now it's filling in. i called our friends at wtop and their traffic center. of course you can listen to traffic on the 8s at 103.5 phil mickelson -- fm. he said it's quiet besides the regular congestion that we're seeing. hopefully everybody is heeding by that, taking it slow. i do want to remind you of course you can download the nbc washington app as you make your way out the door later on tonight. now, you are going to need your umbrella as you head out the door tonight. the rain is sticking with us. watch the roads. we have some leaves making it slick conditions and also some of the oil on the roadway. again, be careful, but i do believe this is going to be gone by tomorrow morning. correct, amelia? >> yeah, exactly. we were looking at the forecast earlier today when the rain was going to come to an nd

it will be dry by 6:00, 7:00 a.m. when you talk about oil on the roads and wet leaves, thinking about to drivers ed, when is it worse out there? if you're in maryland i want to hear you weigh in on twitter with the answer. we always talked about that. anyway, let me get back to the forecast. getting off track. school day tomorrow at the bus stop, it's jacket weather. 43 degrees and we're in the 40s throughout the entire day on our wednesday with a bit of a breeze as well. so, it's definitely the warmer jacket. tomorrow as you're heading out the door. with a mix of clouds and sunshine around recess or the lunch time hour, but we do finish the day mostly cloudy. as we look to thursday, or i should say 40s for highs on thursday, 47 for a high with partly sunny skies. so, a crisp day out there on your thursday. there is that 47 on the storm team4 four day forecast. friday, another blast of cold air moves in. a high temperature of only 42 degrees on friday. as we look to our snow chances, on friday afternoon, maybe, maybe, maybe some rain and snow, chances in southern maryland, but the re o

completely dry. potentially some flurries late on saturday, but little or no accumulation. but more importantly, wendy and doreen, weekend just looking cold, wind chills on sunday in the 20s, low 30s across the area. exactly. >> stock up on firewood, i guess. >> yes. >> thanks, amelia. the holiday shopping season is here, but as you search for bargains, thieves are waiting to strike. >> that's right. pat collins has more on the crime of opportunity and what you can do to protect yourself and your family. >> reporter: indian head highway is called the deadliest road in maryland by aaa, now folks who live in this community say it's time to make a change. their

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now at 6:30, an arrest in a shooting case that frightened parishioners of a montgomery county church. police say 35-year-old peter banfield opened fire on the new life seventh-day adventist church two separate times. we first reported this story last month after church members noticed a bullet hole in a window. a tipster called police and that led detectives to this suspect. no word of a motive. >> a d.c. police review board says the officer who shot and killed terrence sterling last year should be fired. the internal investigation found that officer brian t

the review board called the shooting unjustified. police were chasing sterling in september of 2016. officers say sterling's motorcycle ran into a police cruiser. that's when trainer fired two shots, killing sterling. >> the numbers are staggering. indian head highway in prince george's county averages six deaths a year. there have been five so far this year. police often clock people going faster than 100 miles an hour on this highway. since the police crackdown began in september, more than 5300 tickets and citations have been handed out. that's up from about 3,000 for all of last year. >> and despite that effort, many say more needs to be done to make that road safe and they've got an idea. bureau chief tracee wilkins tells us about it. >> reporter: you see these cars after they're in these wrecks. >> oh, yes. >> reporter: people who travel 210 indian head highway know it's a dangerous road t

and he makes a living repairing the cars that wreck here. >> most of them are just like front-end damage, side damage, back damage, things like that. >> reporter: people can't drive on this road. >> exactly. >> reporter: indian head highway averages six fatalities per year, according to the prince george's county police department. aaa calls it the deadliest roadway in maryland. and now some local community groups believe adding speed cameras can fix the problem. >> we're not trying to put in speed traps. we're trying to save lives. >> reporter: and they helped to craft proposed legislation that will alter state law so cameras can go along this highway but they need the prince george's county house delegation to pass it first. >> if the delegation supports it, it should pass in annapolis. >> will speed cameras really solve the prosch here? >> reporter: although aaa believes something needs to be done to hamper reckless driving on 210, they don't believe speed cameras are the answer. >> the way you solve it is by ng

enforcement presence. that's the one thing that changes behavior. >> reporter: most drivers we spoke with support cameras. >> i think they really should do that. it will save a lot of lives. >> reporter: but the man who repairs crashed cars differs. >> the speed cameras, i don't even think that's going to help in all honesty. it's going to happen any ways. >> reporter: the prince george's county delegation boats on this legislation tonight. we will continue to follow this and bring you updates on nbcwashington.com. in fort washington, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >> these next few weeks will be pretty busy for all of us, and whether you're buying gifts online or in person, there are some important steps you should take to stay safe this holiday season. news4's pat collins is in northwest d.c. with some do's and don'ts from the city's police chief. what's the word, pat? >> reporter: doreen, so, you say you found a good deal online from a guy you never met. he wants to bring

you're supposed to bring the cash. be careful. >> if you're going to buy something on the internet and you don't know who you're buying it from, there is a potential that that person may be a bad actor. >> reporter: to avoid getting ripped off, use one of the three police safe exchange zones. the harbor patrol, 550 water street, southwest. the third district headquarters, 1620 b street northwest. the 6th district headquarters, 5002 hayes street, northeast. police say do the deal in the daylight and never give out your address. never give out your phone number, and always, always try to take someone with you. now let's talk about those gift packages, you know, the ones they leave on your doorstep. by now you should

city subsidizes surveillance cameras for your home. and since the program started, there are about 8,000 security cameras all around our city. it's a great deterrent, but some package ordering caution can serve you well, too. >> things that folks can do is have packages delivered when they're home, have them delivered to a neighbor's home. even have them delivered to their office so they don't leave packages out unattended. >> reporter: and don't forget about thieves. keep a close eye on these. thieves think of these phones as, well, stocking stuffers. wendy, doreen, back to you. >> all right, good advice. >> yeah, it is good advice. thank you, pat. now to that awful situation out west as wildfires burn out of control. we're tracking the latest on the fire fight as more people are forced to pack up and leave. >> also, a local couple is released from jail after squatting inside not

two d.c. homes. why the judge let them walk free. >> and on storm team4 radar, i'm monitoring rain impacting the entire d.c. metro area. when it comes to an end and when we could actually see some snow in my forecast coming up.

one home after the next is getting gobbled up by new wildfires in southern california. the dangerous fast-moving wildfires started yesterday. they are burning out of control near los angeles. at least 150 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far. tonight even more families and business owners are at risk now that the flames are moving west toward ventura. authorities are telling residents to get out while they can. >> now to a fire investigation in our area. if you're waiting for a box from ups, you should check your tracking number because hundreds of deliveries went up in smoke at this ups

it began in a trailer. in this trailer, boxes go into it as they are making their way from the warehouse to the delivery trucks. that trailer, everything inside it, ten trucks, all burned. no one was hurt, but no word on how this started. ups is now contacting the senders and the recipients of those burned packages. >> you may remember the couple who says their religion gives them the right to take over any property they wish. well, today a judge added fraud to the charges against them. antonio bay and mia caldwell claimed to be moorish nationals. they were caught on camera telling a woman to leave her own home near rock creek. police say they also tried to move into a property in adams morgan. prosecutors told the judge the pair is likely to try this a third time and asked for them to be kept in jail until their trial. but the judge let them go because

>> a supreme court fight over wedding cake, the dueling debate over religion and discrimination. nbc's pete williams will be joining us next. >> a young woman in northern virginia is planning one of the biggest days of her life, but one thing is missing. her wedding dress. on news4 how she says ups was supposed to deliver the dress right here to her apartment weeks ago, and now the

ing out. sensing your every move and automatically adjusting to help you stay effortlessly comfortable. i can even help with a silent night. does your bed do that? i don't actually talk, but i can tell you how you slept. i'm the new sleep number 360 smart bed. let's meet at a sleep number store. the problem that could give any bride a nightmare, we've got a $5,000 dress, for that one local woman's big day just

away, and it's lost in the mail. ups tracking says it's been out for delivery for weeks, but the bride wants it now. news4's kristin wright tells her story. >> reporter: michelle abbotty gott got engaged in april. the bride to be found the perfect dress marked down in california. the boutique shipped the gown to michelle in northern virginia a month ago, but the dress was nowhere to be found. is this your dream dress? >> it really is. you know, and i never imagined that i would find a dress like this. >> reporter: the first grade teacher says ups was giving her the run around and couldn't find her dress. she says they told her tracking shows the gown traveled from california to maryland, but then back to california. after that, the dress shipped to maryland again and now michelle says tracking information shows it in the midwest in illinois. >> it's going back and forth

and when i ask why, i'm told that it's been sent to the wrong center, ma'am. but there's absolutely no explanation for why. >> reporter: the bride's frustration goes beyond the dress. she says she spends hours on the phone calling ups. her e-mail to customer service yesterday only got a one-line response. >> corporations are not being held accountable unless they're pushed hard enough. >> reporter: the we had sergio garcia in 3 1/2 weeks. the good news is michelle insured the $5500 dress. the bad news is that she says she can't find the same dress anywhere at that sale price. michelle was afraid this picture could end up being the only one in her dream dress. >> i remain hopeful that i will get it by my special day. that's the hope. we'll see. >> reporter: we reached out to ups about michelle's dress this morning. we're happy to report that as we were finishing up our story tonight, michelle got a call from a ups corporate manar.

they told her, her dress will arrive in virginia tonight and they promised to deliver it right away. michelle tells us she's feeling optimistic. in the newsroom, kristin wright, news4. >> tonight, well -- >> yes, we will, yes, indeedy. >> thank you, kristin. that's a terrible story. >> horrible. >> yeah, to watch it go back and forth across the country. >> back and forth, yeah. >> let's hope this rainy weather doesn't cause traffic and delay the delivery. >> yeah, i know exactly. we're going to see rain out there tonight. actually until about 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, but some much needed beneficial soaking rain impacting the area. definitely take the umbrella as you're taking the dog out tonight. at least the rain jacket. take a look at your weather headlines. let's start you out with storm team 4-by-4 right now. you can see the rain hitting the windshield. lights reflecting on the wet roads across the area. we'll continue to have wet roads overnight tonight into very early tomorrow morning. bu

is getting underway, the roads will be dry at that point. tomorrow is all about how we're going to be turning cold. highs only in the 40s. you've heard it by now. we've been talking about some snow chances in the forecast. they were looking like on friday and saturday, though snow chances are looking minor if at all right now. but snow lovers, don't worry, there is a chance for some rain and snow next tuesday, and that could maybe, maybe, maybe lead to a delay with the school. so, something we're going to keep an eye on. your third weather headline, after that chance for rain and snow, we see even colder air move in. we're talking about high temperatures only in the 30s next week on a few days out there. here's storm team4 radar now tracking rain just about everywhere. continuing to fill, though, into parts of saint mary's and calvert county. you can see it's a wet go around the beltway, 95, 66, 81, some pockets of moderate rain just north of baltimore right now. here's future weather.

drying out the majority of the area. i think we'll still be seeing rain at that point. as we move toward midnight, take a look, here is the rainy was talking about with future weather. once we move toward 5:00, 6:00 a.m., really the only chance for rain will be on the eastern shore in extreme parts of southern maryland and the northern neck. so, what does that mean for you tomorrow? you don't need to grab the umbrella as you step out. high temperature of 49. a bit of a breeze. feeling chilly for sure on your wednesday. thursday another cool day with a high temperature of 47 degrees. friday a high of 42. maybe some flurries late on sunday -- or on saturday, i should say. on sunday it feels like we're in the 20s and low 30s when you factor in the wind. and then i was talking about it, the chance for some rain and snow next tuesday. there it is, with a high temperature of 43. then after that, extremely cold, frigid air moves in next wednesday and thursday. >> i'm just going to wrap myself in a f

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>> announcer: this is the xfinity sports desk. >> well, at least the redskins will be well rested. >> yes, for sunday they've had some extra time to get ready for this final stretch. and you probably heard by now that the redskins are out of the playoff hunt. there is no chance to advance. it would take a miracle. that last part is true. do the advance math and you're going to see the numbers for yourself. skins 99% out of the playoff picture. the shot they take, you're saying there's a chance. >> we know the position we're in, still a 1% chance we could be in the playoffs. other people got to work in our favor. we still have something we can play for. i don't feel like it's over. we still have other teams that could help us, that could help us get in the playoff. >> we feel you. it takes a lot to believe in

touch. which leads us to our next story, santa is coming! stop by fedex field today, vernon davis hanging out with the kids in prince george's county public schools. taking part in the annual skins santa shop event. it's a joint effort between the redskins charitable foundation and the u.s. marine corps. the students all getting a visit from santa inside the redskins locker room, and a present personalized just for them. >> yes, yes, yes! >> it took me back to a day where, you know, i used to sit at the edge of the steps and wait to run downstairs and open presents myself. it's a very special time of the year, and to see how much joy this event has brought those kids is -- that's the reason i'm here. >> what happened in the nfl last night, a different tone. during the bengals/steelers game. makes me sick. i'm a mother that lets her kids

as a fan who knows the sport is violent, it should never be vicious. the first injury came early in the game, not as brutal to watch. he suffers a serious back injury on the play. he knew it right away. awful scene, rolled over, guys are emotional as they knew he couldn't move his legs. he was carted off on a stretcher. but reports, today, he does have movement in his legs. he is still in the hospital undergoing tests on his spinal cord before being transferred to pittsburgh. now, two players suspended for later hits. one just four minutes later. this one, steelers receiver smith, shus ter suspended one game after this illegal hit on bengals linebacker. smith shus ter then stood over him who was later carted offer the field with a head injury. he apologized post game. and bengals safety george was suspended for a game -- exactly -- a helmet to helmet hit on wide receiver antonio brown. brown completed the touchdown

apparently. he was later in the locker room talking. the players of course are going to appeal their game without suspension. to the ice, not practicing today after taking this high hit from joe thornton in last night's win against the sharks. watch his head. right against the glass. he was defenseless, defenseless by the board. thornton's hip smashes into his head. a scary scene, but oshi did skate off on his own t.j. listed with up earn body injury. the capitals host the black hawks tomorrow night at 8:00. back to the redskins and the vocal styling of one niles paul. a back up tight end who, wendy rieger, calls kind of perfect. >> kind of perfect. ♪ it's the night, christmastime is here ♪ ♪ [ laughter ] >> so, he's an unrestricted free agent after this season.

after those hits, right, he had a concussion this year. >> that is good. >> what we know about that now. >> watch the game like this. >> i know. thank you, carol. >> now we take a deeper look at a supreme court case that will have far reaching implications across the nation. >> yes, all eyes have been on this today. it centers on questions of free expression versus discrimination. it all started about five years ago when david mullens and charlie craig both of denver want r wanted a cake to celebrate their wedding. they went to masterpiece cake shop, but the owner jack phillips refused to make their cake, saying that gay weddings violate his religion us beliefs. colorado state law banning discrimination does not have an exception for religious objections, but phillips says his cakes are works of art and forcing him to make them for same-sex weddings would violate his freedom of expression. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams is following this

we learn a lot from how the justices question both sides on this. anything you gleaned from those questions today? >> reporter: sure. i think one of the big questions here is what jack phillips says correct, are cakes a work of art. many of the justices said, well, if they are, what about the wedding invitations, what about the menus, what about the people who do the hair do's, what about the makeup artist? are they considered people who have free expression rights here as well to refuse to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony. on the other hand i think some of the conservative justices were concerned that the court wasn't attentive enough to the religious beliefs of jack phillips. what some of the conservatives asked, what if somebody said we want a red cross for a ku klux klan celebration, would someone have to do that as well. i think at the end of the day here, all eyes are on justice kennedy. he -- remember, of course, he wrote the supreme court's decisional

also a very strict defender of free speech rights. he said on the one hand it would be demeaning to same-sex couples to put a sign in the bakery window saying, we don't do cakes for same-sex weddings. on the other hand, he said he thought that colorado wasn't sufficiently attentive to jack phillips's religious beliefs and maybe gave them too little consideration. so, i think the court basically, while sympathetic to his religious beliefs, is going to say that ruling for jack phillips might give businesses too much leeway to engage in illegal discrimination. we won't know the conclusion of this. it's going to be several months before the supreme court finally issues its decision in what you rightly say is a closely watched case. >> all right. that's pete williams, nbc news, reporting from the supreme court, and we thank you, pete. he'll have much more tonight on nbc nightly news. it starts in 60 seconds. have a good one.

tonight an inferno emergency in california, wildfires suddenly exploding out of control as families escape with just the clothes on their backs. >> our whole lives were wrapped up in that house. everything. it's all gone. everything. they're bracing for impact across the middle east with president trump set to recognize jerusalem as capital of israel, infuriating palestinians, world leaders warning the president, don't do it. unprecedented move, russian banned from the winter olympics, punishment for cheating operation. is robert mueller following the money? reporte