>> she's out at reagan national airport right now. somehow it looking out there this morning, megan? >> reporter: actually, it looks pretty good. you can see behind me here, it's early. only about 4:30 in the morning here. but you can see there are people lining up at the particular counter. american airlines very alive with activity this morning. a lot of their staff here directing people where to go to make sure everybody gets to their flights on time. a lot of folks, the strategy is to leave early, to beat the brunt of the rush today. it will be coming later on this afternoon. they're hoping to get out and miss all of that. take a look at the flight aware delay map here. you can get an idea for some of the delays around the country. only about 70 at this point. so while those folks won't be happy, it's not widespread, at least not at this point. that's good news for folks headed out. airlines have added about 90,000 seats to

travelers this holiday season. today the busiest day this week for airline travel. the lightest day will be christmas day and new year's eve. folks traveling on those days, they shouldn't have to deal with too much in terms of crowds. the rule of thumb is to arrive early to make sure you don't have any problems. the suggestion is to arrive two hours early just to make sure you get on that plane. everything is pretty well booked. if you were to miss your flight, you'd have difficulty rebooking. get there a little early and go to one of the restaurants here at national airport. this is one of my favorite live shot locations because there's so many great amenities, coffee, restaurants. >> oh, yeah. spend all your money. >> they got doughnuts there. i love those. thanks so much, megan. hopefully, it stays nice and quiet and stress-free the rest of the day. thank you so much. look, a lot of

the way to the airport. but at dulles, united is working to make the experience a little easier. >> i think this is such a cute idea. the airlines deploy more than 40 therapy dogs that they're calling paw-fessionals. nothing like a friendly dog to make you. the latest spending bill will only last less than a month. it will keep the government open from january 19th. it also puts off decisions on increased defense spending, disaster relief funding and daca. and john delaney from maryland says it was a terrible choice we were given. he's going to fight for full funding for the children's health insurance program and a pass for d.r.e.a.m.ers. he's already announced his run

the senate rules committee released data stating $600,000 worth of taxpayer funded settlements have been paid out over the past 20 years. the rules committee is also being accused of releasing an incomplete report. the release included one claim for sex discrimination and repris reprisal. a committee failed to approve a $220,000 settlement for sexual harassment that was recently made public. on your news feeds this morning, the post published crude e-mails allegedly sent between the hand of the miss america organization and other board members concerning some of the women on its team. it said pageant winners were fat shamed and called vulgar names. they're working to verify the e-mails and has reached out to those involved. we'll update you

also breaking this morning. legendary sportscaster dick enberg has died. he was behind so many of the great calls in sports. remember oh, my, got his big break with ucla basketball. later did play-by-play for super bowls, the olympics, san diego padres. his daughter told the associated press he was found dead inside his home in san diego. right before he was supposed to hop on a flight to boston. his family thinks he may have died from a heart attack but they're waiting to get official word. today, we'll see more daylight. but yesterday was the longest night of the year. that was the main reason why the people for fairness coalition picked yesterday to raise awareness for those who spend nearly every night on the street. the group marched to freedom plaza to remember the homeless who died in d.c. one of the marchers, albert townsend, will never stay quiet

in washington. he slept on the streets for three years. townsend now volunteers for the coalition to spread the word about the growing problem. >> the people died this year. people are dying younger because their health is deteriorating. >> the group also held a vigil last night in addition to their moore to honor those who lost their lives living on the street. coalition's next step is to ask the city for over $30 million in the next budget to house 1600 more people. our time now 4:35 this morning. want to get you another check on your weather and traffic this morning. >> sheena, how is the weather looking out fthere for folks doing holiday travel. >> if you head farther north to new england, they're seeing snow and maybe boston is seeing delays because of snow. later tonight ishe

area. we may be seeing issues on the roads late tonight and part of your saturday. temperatures in the 30s this morning. about the mid to upper 30s. some areas around for a reason. you will notice more clouds around today. temperatures back in the 50s, mid-50s. later on tonight, we start to see showers approach. that's always good news. speaking of travel this morning, let's head to wtop's dave dildine with a closer look at that. >> good morning. good travel weather. no travel troubles around the beltway. southbound on i-95 and 395. northbound 395 near king street, two right lanes getting by. after stafford, it's two left lanes getting by. both work zones, no delays. in maryland, 270 to 95 baltimore washington parkway, travel times look good. northbound as well. that is the latest from the

traffic center. i'm dave dildine, go ahead and send it back to you. >> thanks, dave. countdown to christmas is three days away. have you finished your shopping? if you haven't, you're not alone. where you can find a few deals before the big day. plus, it is -- boy, this is proof that every vote matters. virginia race too close to call. give you the usual game of chance. tifirst, a pregnant woman s on fire by her boyfriend. onlnews 4 talkedy

a young boy is gone after a shootout with sheriff's deputies and a suspected car thief. this happened 20 miles outside of san antonio. police were hunting for a suspect and spotted her breaking into a home. four deputies and the woman started firing at each other. the little boy was in the house. she was pregnant, set on fire and forced to give birth early. >> only on news 4, a woman shares her incredible story. she has advice for other domestic violence victims. >> i hope that it don't even get that far. i would hope people learn from it. it ain't worth it. that's not love.

feels grateful and blessed. it was three months ago she was attacked, set on fire in the bathroom. police arrested and charged her boyfriend. greenwich did not want to talk about him. but she did want to talk about her healthy baby girl. >> i'm excited to hold her and talk to her and kiss her. >> greenwich says she's got burns on more than 70% of her body. she's now undergoing physical therapy treatments and is very thankful for the medical staff that's helping her. >> pray that she continues to heal. boy, those nurses are amazing. broken glass, gift cards stolen. a d.c. councilman is the latest victim of a car break in. some of the gifts aren't even the biggest loss. if you'rein

travel today, we're looking dry. we're also watching some rain. that will be later tonight and for your saturday. we'll take a look at the timing

[ splash ] [ horn sounds ] dang! ok, i gotta run. hey, wait, there's something i need to tell you- dang. dang! dang!

dang. see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. good morning. good friday morning finally. as you're waking up and walking outside, maybe a warm coat. we're in the 30s right now. as you wake up and walk outside. by 7:00, 8:00, 9:00. about the upper 30s. maybe around 40 degrees by 9:00 a.m. temperatures back in the 50s today but watching the approach of some rain. i'll show you the timing of the weekend forecast coming up. president trump is heading out of d.c. for the holidays. he's leaving later this morning with his family. >> but he did take some time yesterday to visit the wounded military personnel and their families at wal

military medical center. the president also awarded a wounded soldier with a purple heart during his visit. meanwhile, vice president pence is back from afghanistan this morning. he made an unannounced visit to meet with the afghan president in cab you wikabul last night. he thanked them for their service during the holiday season. vice president pence is the official to visit an active u.s. combat zone. the president committed several thousand more troops to the 16-year war this afghanistan. the government will stay open over christmas and well into the new year. >> congress passed a short term spending bill last night. tracie potts is live on capitol hill with how long the spending bill will last and what it does. tracie, good morning to you. >> molette, chris, good morning. good morning everyone. it will last for just under a month until january 19th. what it does is avoid a government shutdown by provi

going for a few more weeks. $2 billion to veterans health program, almost $5 billion in emergency funds to the pentagon and some temporary funding to the children's health insurance program that covers 9 million low and middle income children across america. it keeps the program going until march. >> tracie, when congress gets back next year, i mean, boy, their to-do list is incredibly large. what's on the top? >> the children's health insurance program. they have to find a permanent fix to that. also surveillance program, that's got to be dealt with. negotiations are going on regarding young immigrants brought to the country illegally. daca runs out for them. those protections in march. they're hoping for a january vote

$81 billion in disaster funding. texas, florida, puerto rico still up in the air. >> wow. talk about a lengthy agenda there. >> thank you very much, tracie. now to the most unusual local election results we've ever seen. all week long, we've been bringing you the latest updates on the delegate race from newport news. >> they're stuck in a tie. the race is proof every vote counts. >> it really is a -- in democracy. my kids at school, their teachers their friends come in and say, i was that one vote, shelly. i'm going to hear that for a long time. >> here's what happens next. both candidates will go to richmond next wednesday. election official will literally

who wins the race. really the only way to decide this. their names will be in canisters, not just a piece of paper. the democrat wins in the house of delegates will now be 50/50. >> if you missed it yesterday, we wanted to share this with us. tom sherwood has decided to leave his job here at news 4. >> he has been your face for all things about local politics. anybody who lived here for a number of years knows tom. >> inside and out. >> especially when it comes to district politics. >> i'm tom sherwood in the district. here in the nation's capitol, there's a lot do to get ready for friday's inaugural. >> and tom has been with us for the last 28 years. 28 years. now he did not want any gushy tribu tribute, so we won't be doing that this morning. he plans to refocus on local

contribute to the politics hour on wamu radio. >> always loved that couple times when pat muse would be out and i got a chance to do reporter's note boork. wh brook. >> when you get to talk to tom and his insights on what's happening in d.c. with the perspective of someone who has seen it over decades. >> eats and breathes this stuff. he really does. covering stories on the streets with him was a learning experience for me in the city. >> you -- >> especially with mayrrow owe. >> thank you, tomorrow for your incredible work. the washington city paper has a new owner. local businessman mark ime purchased the alternative weekly. he praised the paper for high quality journalism. financial terms will not be released. >

d.c. council member woke up to a nasty surprise. when he walked outside yesterday morning, he found the window of his new car smashed. then he realized his brother-in-law visiting for the holidays had his car broken into. if that's not enough, they stole his wife's vehicle and hit a neighbor's car. all this happened on 16th street northwest. >> the first new car. i assumed an alarm would go off if you broke my window. apparently not. they knew that. they broke the window and climbed into the car. >> he said in addition to his wife's car, the thieves also got the gift cards he had left in his car as well. >> all right. we're now down to the last couple of days before christmas and the big question is, it's a big question for a lot of people. have you finished your holiday shopping. >> almost. >> still got to get sheena's gift. we took to the street to find out how folks are

why we're going to justin. >> good morning. i want to say first, this is an unscientific poll. we put legwork into it. to prince george's county, we went to see where shoppers are in gift buying with christmas now just around the corner. take a listen. >> how is your list looking? are you almost finished? >> i'm getting to the end. trying to pick up the last-minute things. yeah. >> almost there. >> i have not started yet. but amazon is at the tip of my fingertips. >> i have not started holiday shopping. i work in pentagon city. i work right by the mall. i've done no shopping at all. >> now, if you still need to make trips to the store to cross off that wish list, we're working for you to help you out. now, most national chains will be open until 6:00 p.m. on christmas eve. colds, walmart and -- even 24-hour walmarts will close

6:00 on sunday which is terrible. two big named stores are catering to the serious procrastinators. shop at michaels until midnight on christmas eve. anchor stores may have different hours in actual malls. >> i always think they'll be open and the doors are closed. what am i going to do? get a gift card. >> get a gift card. >> or cash. >> you get an actual gift, nobody knows how much money you spent. if you get a gift card, they do. >> you can't put a dollar figure on sentiment. it is very convenient. >> i am good for cash. >> haven't you ever -- i will say -- >> as long as it

>> a christmas card with a 20 and a bunch of ones below it. merry christmas. >> you peeked. >> but i like the carousels at whatever convenience store you go to. every store is there. doug kammerer was out at the holiday lights yesterday. this is amazing. this was when doug went on the hunt for the best light displays. this is clinton, maryland. they've been doing this for years. the whole neighborhood came out to see doug and the forecast. look at the pretty lights. doug does his live weather out there too. look at this display. insanity. 28 years the owner has been collecting all this stuff. i don't know where you store all that. >> this is the new green screen that we have. this is live in the field. doug can actually do the weather in the field with the map behind him, which is not tip kalg ypic what we normally do. this is a new

this morning. temperatures in the 30s, though. so warm coat before you head out there. if you are doing your last minute christmas shopping today or traveling today. 34 degrees frederick. 30 manassas. 39 in the district. 39 degrees in quantico. we had snow in parts of new england. this is moving into boston. i think boston may be seeing travel issues later today. this will stay well to the north. we are watching rain coming from the texas area. that will be here later tonight and part of tomorrow. here's your commute forecast. today, we stay dry on the roads. tomorrow morning we have a chance of early showers and then a chance for late showers. so be careful if you're driving tomorrow. future weather keeps the snow to the north this afternoon. there's the rain. 11:00 p.m. tonight. then we continue to see it early tomorrow morning, mainly north and tomorrow afternoon the rain is in the forecast. but it does clear out sunday. as far as christmas day. a very early chance of some rain, snow showers. it's a slight

should be gone before sunrise. cold and windy christmas day. we're watching it. >> let's check on the roads with dave dildine. good morning, dave. >> if you're hitting the road right now, early, that's usually a good strategy. that's a good trip around the beltway in virginia. south on virginia, one hiccup. overnight work zone in stafford county. near the center court parkway and two left lanes getting by. a little bit of a slowdown in the flow. we can check it out on the camera. volume is fairly light so far. that will pick up later on in the morning. especially in the early afternoons. more folks hit the roads making good time. that's the latest from the wtop traffic center. back to you. >> thanks, dave. >> a warning before you start handing out the holiday gifts. crooks are cashing in on your gift cards. >> ahead at 5:00, could be stealing money before you even pass out the presents.

♪ >> plus the hottest broadway show opening up on yet another stage. hamilton had its opening night ahead of t d.c. debut.he

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ it all starts with a wish. the final days of wish list are here. hurry in and sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down and a complimentary first month's payment.

♪ ♪

the songs from hamilton stuck in your head. the tony award winning show has opened in london. fans waited outside the newly refurbished theater. lin-manuel miranda was even there for the opening. as you can imagine, tickets quickly sold out in london. remember, the show is coming to d.c. in 2018. >> okay. i got to get tickets when it comes to d.c. >> i saw it. my wife and i saw it in chicago. our expectations were this high. blew them out of the park. >> i'm there, i'm there. >> tickets go on sale in march. >> be waiting on that one. today is your last chance to get last-minute christmas gifts o to their destinations. >> do you want your gift to arrive in time for the holiday, you have to go through the u.s. postal service. the only option

mail express. the price depends on how much your package weighs and how far it's going. you might want to use a flat rate priority mail express box. if everything fits, the box is good up to 70 pounds. >> that option costs about 24 bucks. the other thing is, you really have to say a little prayer and just be patient too on the other end. it still could take longer. demand has been so high. i mailed a package seven days ago. >> last thursday. >> last thursday. >> you got two days. fingers crossed. stay with us. "news4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m. right now at 5:00 a.m., time for holiday travel. it started last night. >> the lines at the airport is growing this morning. we're working for you getting you where you need to go without the stress. plus, cooling down for