the wet roads and driveway and everything. and then when i hear what's coming, i can already feel a little difference from yesterday when it was still nice. >> you better run and hide. >> i thought when i got out the door this morning, it's still not that bad, but i remember what you guys said and i grabbed the coat anyway. >> good. good for you for listening. yeah, the rain was part of a cold front. the cold front is moving through. the winds have switched. that means the cooler air is starting to move in. as you step outside, it's not that bad right now. it will be getting cooler throughout the day today, especially tonight and tomorrow, too. here's a look at the radar. a lot of the rain has moved out of the area. very light showers in charles, prince george's county, annapolis but there's that cold front. the clouds might struggle to clear today but look at the wind directions in from the northwest. that means we'll be cooling off. coming up, i'll show you what it ls

you can expect this afternoon. >> thanks, sheena. we're following a developing story in prince george's county where investigators say a babysitter shot a young boy and he's in critical condition. investigators say it was an accident and the babysitter rushed him to the hospital. the boy is 11 years old and wounded in his upper body. it happened yesterday in bellamy way. we're learning about a major backup at the i-270 spur in bethesda. the person got out of his car to check the damage and was hit by a car. the driver who got out of the car has life-threatening injuries. more than a dozen wildfires burning in southern california. the biggest and most destructive is the thomas fire. you see the latest footage on the screen. it's forced governor jerry brown to declare a state

the blaze has destroyed 140 structures and forced nearly 30,000 people to evacuate their homes since it broke out on monday. nbc's jay gray has the latest from ventura. >> reporter: the fire fight continues overnight. the smoke and orange glow in the california hills, a clear indication mother nature is still winning the battle here. >> they continue to challenge us. our fire is over 50,000 acres and still growing. we have a mandatory evacuations in the areas around the entire fire. >> reporter: tens of thousands have rushed to safety, including simpron lisa harrison, who are able to save their pets but little else. >> our whole lives were wrapped up in that house. everything. it's all gone, everything. >> reporter: entire communities have been swallowed by the flames.

rushed out of the hospital. hundreds of homes reduced to rubble and ash. an apartment complex on this ridge overlooking ventura as the flames reached the edge of the downtown area here. fire teams continue to battle the flames when and where they can. more than 1,000 firefighters working arno working around the clock. with wind gusts expected to continue through friday. >> deadly santa ana winds has led to the fire growth. >> reporter: an acre or more every second and still growing. jay gray, nbc news, ventura, california. police have shut down part of georgia avenue near -- in aspen hill. it's closed in both directions at

right now officers are investigating a very serious accident. we've got a crew on the way to that scene. we'll be bringing you updates throughout the morning. a major u.s. foreign policy change is developing this morning. today president trump is expected to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. israel already recognizes jerusalem as its capital city, but the international community does not because the palestinians also claim jerusalem as their capital. this also means the u.s. embassy in tel aviv could be moved to jerusalem, but that could take several years. u.s. allies in europe, including france, oppose this change in policy and think this decision will hurt relations with some of the muslim countries. donald trump jr. will be on the hot seat in capital hill appearing before the house intelligence committee to answer questions about his direct contacts with officials connected to the kremlin. the committee is

possible collusion between trump and the last campaign election. we get to celebrate yet another holiday tradition in it the district. we're talking about the capitol christmas tree lighting. around a:00 speaker of the house paul ryan will light the kree on the lawn. it is nearly 80 feet tall and came from montana. we'll show you that live during news 4 at 5:00. after the white house tree, the event in shirlington, leesburg, this is pretty much does it. i think all the trees will be lit after tonight czink you should do it in your front yard. >> i got my tree up. >> put it outside, we'll make a story of it. >> i wouldn't put it past them. >> the weather will be good for that, too. we should have our own christmas tree outside the station, why not. the nbc tree lighting. everybody else is. temperatures right now, not too cold across the

51 degrees across washington. you'll notice the colder changes. details straight ahead. it is the stunt that september one of santa's helpers to the hospital. how this parachuting present delivery went so yong so fast. a heart-warming update about an update for a homeless man. what he was able to do thanks to

there was an old woman who lived in a shoe. she had so many children she had to buy lots of groceries. while she was shopping for organic fruits and veggies, burglars broke into her shoe. they stole her kids' mountain bikes and tablets along with her new juice press. luckily the geico insurance agency had helped her with homeowners insurance. she got full replacement on the stolen goods and started a mountain bike juice delivery service. call geico and see how affordable homeowners insurance can be.

how does a homeless veteran end up with $400,000 or generous person? >> by being incredibly generous himself, actually. >> i shared this story on my facebook page. wishing i could read something like this every day. my gosh, makes you feel good. johnny bobbitt is a former marine corps medic but used his last $20 to fill up a woman's tank. she ran out of gas and didn't have any cash so he walked a few blocks to buy her gas. she was so touched, she set up a go fund me page and people were so might have had by his

$400,000. >> i remember that story when it was over $100,000. now $400,000. >> i used to live in philly. that's fantastic. >> used some money to buy a new home along with a ford ranger. he's been dream being having a new truck. he says he's going to continue to pay that kindness forward. a pizza hut is rolling out a special delivery today in phoenix where it will be testing beer delivery. pizza hut plans to expand to wine delivery next month. the company planning to explore single serving and full body options. how do you single serve wine? >> like a cup or a glass, i mean, but a glass. >> sheers your glass of wine. >> or maybe they just pour it for you

some states there's an open bottle rule. i don't know if i have that right. >> we'll have to get the details. in case you wonder where the heavy drinkers in the country are -- >> excuse me. >> -- you don't have to look far. you live in d.c., don't you? >> no. >> d.c. is ranked second when it comes to percentage of adults who drink alcohol and we're number one when it comes to heavy drinkers. >> i don't believe that. meaning you get belligerent. >> not belligerent but you consume a lot. they found 70% of adults had one drink in the last month, labeled heavy drinkers, meaning men had drinks every day and women one. >> every day. >> yes. two drinks a day every day -- >> maybe that means d.c.'s a stressful city. >> i believe that. between everybody's

tough. >> after a long commute, go home -- >> yeah. that's what we're doing at 11:00 in the morning. >> once we get home. >> as we head out the door this morning, you and i were talking, it's not that bad. boy, the change throughout the day. >> oh, big change. as you wake up and walk outside, you'll still notice the clouds. it's a little breezy but temperatures by 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, still in the mid40s. as we go through the day, those numbers will be dropping a bit. struggling to warm up. a closer look at the week, colder weather coming our way. >> get those coats ready. it is better to give than to receive, but how do you know money you donate during the holidays is actually going to those in need? the things to be on the lookout

welcome back. coming up on 4:15. we're all prepared for pretty chilly into the day. sheena and chuck are pinpointing exactly when that cold weather will settle in here. as you notice as you head out the door, the cold temperatures will be moving in. a lot of folks waking up to temperatures in the 40s this morning. we're still talking about the possibility of snow.

week. we'll let sheena and chuck work and check in with them in a few minutes. but first -- ouch. looks like that skydiving stunt will stick to santa's sleigh next time around. he clipped a tree coming in near the gulf coast. the elf broke his leg and had to have surgery. he was giving a child elf on a shelf a ride when it happened. turns out the elf on a shelf is fine but santa's helper, well, he's probably going to have to recuperate over the rest of this holiday season. 41 people have been hurt in this massive train crash in germany. it happened when one of the cars derailed and dragged the overhead wiring onto the ground with it. emergency crews had to wait for the train to deactivate that wiring before they could even get in there to help some of the

allowed to compete in the 2018 winter games in pyongyang, but under some very heavy restriction. they will not be allowed to fly their country's flag or listen to the national anthem should they win a medal. yesterday the ioc banned russia and its sports leaders from the games because of state-sponsored doping at the sochi games. all athletes at the games will also have to pass drug tests. we're working for you this morning. it is the season of given. how about considering a gift that also lets you give back. some retailers donate a portion of their sales to charity. but before you shop, susan hogan explains why you should take a closer look at the fine print. >> reporter: want to fill your holiday ship list and feel good in the cause? some stores promise to donate a portion to a charity. >> it's a win-win but you have to make sure the

as generous as they say they are. >> reporter: the key is transparency. look at the company's website abouts their giving policy. amazon smile states very clearly they donate one-half of 1% of all eligible purchases to the participating charity of your choice. >> you want to be skeptical if the retailer says it's going to give a portion of the proceeds but doesn't tell you exactly how much. >> reporter: and don't give anyone your business strictly to support a good cause. make sure you're getting the same price and service you would get if you shopped somewhere else. for example, buying a $400 television on amazon smile results in a donation of roughly $2. but if you can get a better price on that tv elsewhere, you can use that extra cash to make the charitable donation on your own. >> ushld also take a closer look at the return policy, especially during the holiday season. you want to make sure whomever you're giving the gift to can exchange or return it if they have to.

>> regift it, exactly. >> as you step outside, don't be fooled by the cool temperatures. as i understand, it's going to get downright cold out there. >> and we have a chance for a few snow showers. now, this is a small chance. and it could be pretty good south and east. late friday night and early saturday, we have a storm system passing offshore. this just shows you how cold it's going to be. there will be enough cold air in place to support that. currently we have a few sprinkles in parts of charles county, a little bit in parts of prince george's county in annapolis. those part of the cold front. all the rain has moved through, heading offshore and there is that cold front. that moved through. we're not getting very cold just yet. a lot of the clouds will struggle to clear out but we will see gradual improvements as we go through the day today. the wind spe

anywhere from 15 to 20 miles an hour so that breezy wind will eventually bring that cooler air in. areas like washington coming into 51 degrees right for you. 45, gaithersburg. 45 in leesburg. winchester is at 37 degrees currently. here's future weather, so as we go through the day, the clouds will try to clear up by the afternoon but temperatures only staying at about the 40s through the day today. tomorrow morning we're waking up in the 30s and then we'll be getting colder as we go into the weekend. here's a look at the big picture, the cold front is moving through. the cold air starting to settle in. there's that storm system offshore. it's going to stay offshore. the track will be really dependent -- or precip chances will be dependent on the track of this thing. locally we could see a chance of local rain showers, stout and east of the district. that's what it looks like going into late friday/early saturday. the chances don't look very

but we'll keep them in the chances. friday we could see the storm system try to swing a few showers. look at sunday, high temperatures only in the 30s. that's some cold air moving in. >> sure is. that means, hey, we're in december now. here we go. thanks, sheena. they're called cyber ska scalpers, the reason they're so expensive. how you can avoid paying huge markups. coming up at 4:30 -- they're what everybody's talking about this week. the tolls. the proposal already in the works as drivers get ready for day three of what can be an extremely expensive commute.

what do you think? hey, think ben will like it? yeah, was i the only one hearing the angelic music? i'm serious, i never know what to get him. just tell me you got him fios too. sigh. mrs. layne, fios is a 100% fiber-optic network. that, plus this sick console, he'll be like whaaaaaattt. your new tech is best on the 100% fiber optic network. so get fios. now just $79.99 per month

a rule change in the scripps national spelling bee. scripps plans to hand out 225 wild card spots to spellers who don't win their regional contest but do win at the school level. this could double the number of spellers who come to washington each year from just under 300 to more than 500. previously spellers had to win their regional bee to make it to nationals. officials help the new rule will level the playing field at the regional level. moms and dads, any of you having trouble finding that hot holiday toy? cyber scalpers may be to blame. they use bots to scoop up hot toys. as nbc's blake mccoy explain, consumer groups are already demanding action. >> reporter: at the top of 3-year-old angela's christmas list,

puppets. her uncle determined to make her happy, found the toy sold out everywhere he looked. they are among the season's hottest toys targeted by cyber scammers. dubbed grinch bot, software allows scalpers to snatch up the toys before people like anthony are able to buy them. they're then resold by third-parties at huge markups on major e-retail sites. >> makes me very angry. man against computer, the computer will win. >> reporter: normally $15, now selling for $100 on amazon, $1,000 on ebay. the lol surprise doll listed for 10 bucks, it's 50 on amazon, 500 on ebay. nintendo's super nes classic normally $80 is commanding up to $700 on amazon and $18,000 on ebay. >> we're calling on retailers to block the bots and give parents and kids a fair chance to get the toys they want. >> reporter: the nna

federation says it supports efforts to strengthen enforcement against bad actors. anthony doesn't have time to wait. he shelled out $75 for his fingerlings, a 500% markup. >> it puts a damper on the holidays. >> reporter: thanks to the grinch bots trying to steal christmas. blake mccoy, nbc news, chicago. >> $100 for a fingerling does not seem fair. it is now 4:26. i'll hand you over to the live desk and bring you the latest on the incredible wildfires in california. news4 today continues. now on "news4 today," a child shot, a mother in shock and another one so distraught. also this morning, falames continue to fan across southern california. why crews continue to lose ou

the clock. day three of the drive for express lane users and already a push to change things up. and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. who and what you can expect to see at the lighting of the capitol christmas tree. did you see the post on facebook last night? >> i did not. >> it's a cartoon about you very excited about snow and you and i telling chuck, shh. shhh. >> you know it's winter, right? >> i know, i know. >> just happens. >> i know, it's here. >> not a lot you can do it about it. breaking news on the roads this morning. >> in montgomery county. here's a problem for a lot of folks this morning, especially if it sticks aren't. we're talking about aspen hills this morning. georgia avenue between aspen hill road and rip ling brook drive. this crash means all lanes have been shut down from about 2:00 this morning. very big problem for folks through that problem as it is

closed here this morning. police out there on the scene. no word on when that will reopen. landover between 450 and b.w. parkway is closed but now cleared. windy on the bay bridge but no actual obstructions. yes, indeed, the change of seasonal taking place again as colder air will come pushing back into the region later on today. as you step out the door this morning, let me tell you something, there's a significant northwest wind blowing out there. be ready for a bit of a blustery start to the day. most of the rain now is east of the capitol beltway, prince george's county across the bay into southern maryland. west of i-95, nothing left as far as our rain chance goes. temperatures aren't too terribly cold yet. still 50 here in washington. 45, leesburg. 37, winchester. 23 in western maryland. that's the colder air coming in here as the day goes along. there's your day planner,

starting off relatively miner and not much of a rise. temperatures will start trailing off around 3:00, 4:00. colder weekend. more about the weekend forecast coming up in a few, with a chance for snowflakes. 4:29. an 11-year-old boy is in critical condition after what investigators say was an accidental shooting. prince goernl's county police say the boy was shot in the upper body and taken to the hospital in critical condition. police say the 33-year-old babysitter was the one who shot the boy and was the person who took him to the hospital. police first got to the home on bellamy way around 6:40 last night. the boy is still in the hospital. we're learning new information about the crash that led to this major backup on the beltway. montgomery county fire says someone crashed at the 270 spur in bethesda. that person left his car to check out the damage and then hit by a car. both drivers were taken to the hospital. the driver who left the car

life-threatening injuries. we want to turn to the devastating wildfires in california. >> chris lawrence is following the latest at the live desk. any progress here? >> unfortunately, no. nearly a dozen wildfires burning in southern california. the biggest and most destructive is the thomas fire which forced jerry brown to declare a state of emergency. that blaze has burned 85 square miles, destroyed at least 150 buildings and forced nearly 30,000 people to evacuate since it all broke out on monday. one evacuee got understandably emotional when talking about what this fire has done. >> our whole lives were wrapped up in that house. everything. it's all gone. everything. >> at last check the thomas fire is zero percent contained. just to put this into perspective for you, we've been talking about this story for about 45 seconds. the fire is