let's do this news 4 begins with a storm team 4 weather alert. >> less than 300 miles away now and closing in tonight. this time tomorrow, the carolina coast will be feeling the effects of hurricane florence. the news keeps getting better and better for us around here, butt keeps getting worse and

worse for north and south carolina. some places there could see0 up to inches of rain. and right now, 1.7 million ople are under evacuation orders. >> that inc pdests of southeastern virginia. the governor telling people, if you are out of harm'sway, stay there. >> let's begin our team coverage with chief meteorologist doug kammerer and the latest storm track. doug, what are you seeing now? >> guys, this has weakened again. it is now a category 2 ghurricane. gorom a 4 earlier down to a category 2 right now with 1ur 110-mile-an-winds. this is the imagery here, this is about three hours old, unfortunately, i'm losing some satellite data, but you can clearly se a nice little circle earlier and look at the southern end of thisstorm, really falling apart. that's some good news with the wind.r, howe that does not change the effects along the coast. yes, the wind has aays been a factor, but i've been telling you the whole time, it is storm surge and it is flooding. that's what we're going to continue to see threatening parts of north carolina.

let's showou the latest track here as it does move closer, the outer bands, by the way, are visible on radar now, as you can see. florence, 110-mile-per-hour hurricane, a category 2 hurricane, moving northwest at 17. on this new track, expected now to be a category 2 as it makes landfall, coming close to the wilmington, south carolina, area, shifting down to the south and then making a little bit of a loop here and back upowards e north as a tropical storm, possibly getting towards s atlaa urday at 8:00. once again, a huge rain maker for this area. huge storm surge. just because the winds are down does not mean the storm surge will diminish, and that is t mber one killer in storms, the storm surge and the inland flooding. major, major ka ckatz trophy don there. we'll have more in minutes. >> thank you, doug. jim haly is leading our team of reporters covering florence. >> jim's indags h on north

carolina's outer banks tonight, and he talked with peopleo ther whlan to stick it out and ride out the orm. >> those people are in the minority. as jim reports, many people have boarded up and headed out. >> reporter: the is an eerie feeling along the north carolina coastline tonight, as the waves andohe wind start amp up. many who hielded the days ofin wa are wondering when they'll be able to come back and what they'll find. others have decided to stay put. >> we grew up where blizzards happen, so, this is just a wet blizzard. >> reporter: mike and francine movee three years ago from falls church. they may be new here, but their house isn't, and they're staying in it through florence. >> live in a very old houseat seen a lot of hurricanes, we're thinking it can see one more, and 130-year-old house. >> reporter: firefighter tim tfitch has beening to get a handle on who is staying and where. he says he's fully prepared for

rescues. >> just telling people that you need to be safe, you're going to stay, you need to. stay insi there's no reason to go out and try to get in the water or to check on people. you got to keep yourself safe first, so when thisve is all we can take care of each other after that. >> we have everything ready. >> wyeah. got, you know, and then tomorrow is just going to be a walk around day, mak sure everything is tied down. but as far as batteries, radios, battery-operated ray owes and water, things like that, we're set. >> reporter: by far, the biggest problem for folks here will beea the rains and the flooding that follows. and no one can predict how b that will or how long it will last. in the outer banks, north carolina, jim handly, news 4. >> here now is a live picture from wilmington, north carolinay this c could get battered for hours starting tomorrow. we'll have more coverage of the preparations in the carolinas coming up here at 11:15. sever w days now,ve been talking about coastal flooding during high tide along the

potomac river. tonight, we can tell you water isn't the only problem. georgetown residents say the rising water is forcing more rats out into the open. ne4's shomari stone is along the waterfront with more. hi, shomari. >> reporter: good evening. i have seen ss many r tonight, it is just absolutely disgusting on some parts of the georgewaterfront. the high tide, coastal flooding righthe potomac, which is behind me, that's caused serious problems, the water just last night around this time was all the way up to here on this column. the rats, the high tide, thet wall t is separating the potomac and the floodwaters from restaurants, are bad fo business. as the sun sets over the georgetown waterfront and ducks gently swim in the potomac, the scenery doesn't cfort some local businesses. >> it's depressing. >> reporter: edward lynch manages tony and joe's seafood flas. >> it'sur really us.

>> reporter: where business has dropped like water in this fountain. >> it's not just me, not just the ownership, the harbor. it's eyery emp effected by this. >> reporter: effected by this week's coastal flooding from the potomac. it's pushed rats inland. tony and joe's says business is down 50om cpared to last week. >> the water goes up, the rats live next to the river, the water goes up, the rats have to go somewhere. luckily, we have these walls and the rats don't go here. >> reporter: he's right, the floodgates are up, separates water and rats from >> i don't want the rats to come and scare everybody. >> reporter: done mcken has seen the rodents on the other side of the wall. >> i'm just like, ew, that's disgusting. i can't stand those rats. >> it's created a situation. >> reporter:.c. council member jack evans. >> we're going to have a lot more rats. >> erybody's kind of fighting their breath right now just waiting for what thisurricane

does, what the flooding situation does. >> reporter: well, that's right. people are in wait and see mode. meanwhile, i you see any of the rats down here by the georgetown waterfront, council member jack evans recommends you call 311 for t district's rodent control program. let them know where you see the' rodents and t expected to come out here and do what they can to fix the problem. own here along the georg wat waterfront, i'm shomari stone, news 4. >> thank you, shomari. have breaking news out of alexandria tonight. flameshooting out of the windows of this apartment building on duke street. aiewer sent ushis video, showing this fire in the apartment. that fire went to two alarms, but firefighters were quickly able to knock it wn. alexandria fire department says medics are treating one person and they're trying to figure out how this fire started. roads around the u.s.nd capitol a union station are back open tonight. d.c. and u.s. capitol police

were investigating a suspicious vehicle near union station and louisiana avenue this evening. officers used binocularse to scoput the area, as you see there. we saw a man get into that bomb suit there to inspect the e. vehi they took away some items from inside that car. investigators are not saying what they found, if anything at all. the future ofdo cardinal ld wuerl's leadership of the catholic church in washington lies in the o hands pope francis. a spokesperson for the o archdioces washington confirmed today that cardinal wuerl will ask the pontiff to cept his resignation. a pennsylvania grand jury report suggested that wuerl did not do enough to protectictims from predator priests when wuerl was the archbishop in pittsburgh. some students we talked to at catholic university today say they're fed up. >> for meon pely, it's ompletely infuriating and frustrating situation. >> the holy father, the pope, is not required to accept it.

he'll accept it at the point at which he's ready and willing to replace him with his successor. >> last week, cardinal wuerl met with priests of the arch die cease. sources say many showsed support for wuerl, personal but not all felt that he should be rema as archarchbishop. new tonight, a d.c. mother is sharing her heartbreak after the mur son. her 18-year-old someone shot and killed him sunday afternoon on stanton road, southeast. his mom tells our darcy spencer that he left to get a drink and never came home. >>hat's a hurt, like, to the core. >> reporter: it's a feeling only the loss of a child can bring. >> it's so sad, because look at who got caught up init. the innocent. >> reporter: her son left home sunday afternoon to get a soda and never came back.

>> it's a big le. they broke us. we are never going to be the same. >> reporter: he had gone to this corner sto to get that soda and was walking home when his mom says gunfireerupted. she says he was running away. he was shot in the back, an unintended target. he ghoduated from high and was getting ready to start college at u-dc. >> they robbed us of him. they stole h from us. >> taquan had a big family and ny, many friends. >> he was my best friend. he was my everything. talked about everything, we did everything together,and, like, it's just -- they took my everything away from me. >> reporter:taquan was also a big part of horton's kids. it's a nonprofit in the community that provides homework help and tutoring. his sibarngs are also pt of the center.

they're all trying to understand the loss aom howne could be so reckless with a gun. >> the took an angel from us and it's not just going to be okay until justice is served. >> reporter: in the district, darcy spencer, news 4. cigarette smoking has come with its warnings for years, but w a new warning from the food and drug administration, this time, it's about e gigarettes. thernment calls the devices an epidemic among american teenagers. the fda is cracking down on retailers that illegally sell these products to minors. the agency sent 1,300 warning letters to five major e-cigarette brands and gave manufacturers 60 days to come up with a plahe to keep t products out of the hands of children and young teens. >> use we're seeing in youth and the resulting path to addiction must end.

>> e-cigarettes haveer l toxic chemicals than regular cigarettes but higher amounts of nicotine. they've become popular for people trying to quit smoking cigarettes but teenagers arett afternooncted to their sweet d flavors and sleekesign. tracking the latest on hurricane florence right now. about 24 hours m until thises landfall, but they're going to start to feel the tropical storm force ones ahead of this. storm surge, the major issue here, along withxtremely heavy rain. i'm going to show you what we i'm going to show you what we can expec

here's to the stair takers, i'm going to show you what we can expec breakfast makers, step counters, outdoor explorers, faith restorers, appointment keepers, fantastic creatures. farmer's market goers, cholesterol lowerers cell phone silencers. the new lease on lifers, and the positive thinkers. here's to you all that see every day as an opportunity to thrive your way.

heck out this video. this is from the noaa agency's hurricane hunter that's up inside of florence,lying around, and here you'll see it break through and get into the eye of the storm. this is one of the best tools to see what's t happening inse hurricanes. as you can see, the conditions as it goes through the it kind of changes and then all of a sudden emerges into the call of the eyeorf that >> that is so spooky looking. >> i talked to people who have taken that ride and they say it is so surreal when you go through all that turbulence and break into the calmest skies you've ever seen. >> oh. >> crazy. >> i'd be glad to survive if i took that ride.hu icane florence continues to barrel towards the east coast. the carolinas are preparing for extended power outages and potentially feet of rainfall. >> nbc wendy olwilfk is in wrhtsvilleach, north carolina. >> this is a mandatory

evacuation. >> reporter: whether packing up or staying put, residents arein g for florence. >> this is not our first hurricane, but i think we're prepared. >> reporter: no matter where she finally makes landfallandfall, impact will be felt far and wide. >> it's really dangerous. we need to get o of the way. >> reporter: millions heading inland to escape catastrophic and flooding. >> powerful, damaging hurricane is hours aw from our coast. >> reporter: president trump promising full support from the federal government. >> my administration is in close coordination with state and local authorities and fema. protection of life absolute highest priority, and that's what we're doing. protection of life. >> reporter: still some are confident ty are safest at me. >> just batten down the hatches and get rea i to ride out. >> reporter: an unprecedented disaster still hundreds of miles out at sea, already being felt

along the coast. at this point,be forecasters eve florence will either make landfall sometime late thuray or into friday. in wrightsville beach, north caroli, i'm wen woolfolks, nbc news. and with this hurricane,t is the water more than the wind that is the real threat. yeah. and this is -- this is going to kind of shock you a little bit. you remember hurricane sandy, right? >> sure. >> hurricane sandy came on shore th 80-mile-an-hour winds. we saw what that storm surge did. devastated new jersey and new york. that'st w're dealing with here. yes, this is no longer a category 4, it's a 2 pestorm, le say, oh, it's only a category 2 now. no. this has been bringing water with it all the way across the atlantic. once it hits the carolinas, that water is going to comein. some could pick up close to 15 feet as far as the storm surge is concerned down there towards the carolinas. they are not out of theed woos at all. here it is right here.

the t radar, satellite picture showing what's been happening with this storm. here's thes. caroli again, this is only about 300 miles away. notice the southern portion of the storm here really starting to erode here, as we look toward the last couple of frames. but some indications are ts may actually strengthen just a little bit as it moves closer to the gulfstream. right now, winds of 110 miles an hour. so, it a categor 2. moving to the northwest at 17 miles an hour. on that track, coming inland as a category 2 hurricane. that's the national hurricane center's forecast. may strengthen a little bit. right when it gets to shore, maybe weaken jus a bit. we're still going to see the incredibly strong winds, the wave action, the storm surge, that's going to be the biggest thin and then the inland flooding, because it sits here for a couple of days. here it is on thursday, here it is on saturday. within 48 hours, you can does not move all that much and then it actually makes its way up towards kentucky and possibly into our area next monday and tuesday. kind ofamazing. how about the wind field?

the yellow here is tropical storm force winds. you get 60-mile-an-hour winds in the orange and hurricane force winds in the red. 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, they're seeing tropical storm force ones along the outer banks. tomorrow afternoon, around 5:00, that's when the hurricane force winds come and this is a little bit farther to the north than the last advisory. in towards portions just to the north of wrightsville beach and wilmington. the hurricane force winds are there all day long, right along the coast,owards the wrightsville beach area. and the tropical storm force winds, they moved in at 7: a.m. on thursday, they're still there at 8:00 a.m. on saturday. a very long duration ent, as far as the wind is concerned. a very long duration event as far as the rain is concerned. how much rain? well, how abo over0 inches of rain. yeah, this is two feet of rain down along the coastalre here of north carolina. much more dodge around myrtle d beach, arocharlotte. this is all going to be flooding, flood-pre in this

area. notice our area, though, maybe 2.6 inches.th at's through next wednesday, so, again, we're not going to see much from this over the couple of days. i'm not worried about this storm at all in our area. tomorrow, f40% chance storms with a high of 83. 80 degrees on your friday. frid f is the best chanc rain, but it's not an all-day rain. the showers t will moveough quick. they are moving because of florence. 80 degrees on saturday. hey, we got redskins game coming up on sunday. we're undefeated right now. 83 degrees on sunday. we get that game in, no problem. malae an id shower, but that's it. monday and tuesday, the remnants come back around our region from florence, could see showers and maybe some heavier downprs en, but even that, still don't think we're going to see too much in the way of rainfall. then we get into what i think uld be some phenomenal weather late nextwe . overnight lows for many in the 60s. >> something to look forward >>. yeah, just to see the sun two days in a row. >> that would be nice. >> thank you, doug. still ahead, the nationals

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bradley beal, john wall, those guys together. showing some love. pick this one up in the fourth quarter. d mysticsown 13. perfect time for the comeback. elena delle donne on the job. team high 11 points. the comeback continues. s mystics within five. giftisexcited. rvt ear's mvp, ewart, showing why she des the award. st seattle putti the icing on the cake. that's 37-year-old sue bird with stewart for s to the bucket. game high 30 points for stewart. storm sweep the mystics and win it 98-8 2 and are the wnba champions. still a great season for the mystics. thing is the great that we can still improve. we don't feel like we've peaked and this is it for us. obviously, this isn't how we t wanted i end, but it's an

experience we can grow from. >> you havehi to keeps in perspective. everybody else in the league wishes they were playing tonight, so, we're very aware of that and thankful that we were here and we know we and so we will. who's next to make a run? how about d.c. united, hosting minnesota united. military night at audi field. second half, d.c. down 1-0. two defenders on segura, so what. segura turns, shoots and scores. that's the equalizer. 1-1 game. less than five minutes later, can i get more of joseph mora? passes to darren maddox for goal two. d.c. takes the lead, opportunity look bad. d.c. unitedneeats msota united 2-1. thicry with playoff implications. d.c. now two points out of a playoff spot.>> no playoffs for the nats, but perfect night for some september baseball. nats finishing up their series against the philli. firs inning, bryce harper at

the plate, man on. two men gone. o-run shot. harper's 33rd home run. nationals jump out to a 2-0 lead. stephen strausberg struck out nine. this belongs in - the say what- >> what? >> department. he hits jorge alfaro,he then catcher, than the umpire. trifecta. no one was hurt in theth makingf particular highlight. but not many have seen a rookie season like juan soto's. crushes his 19th of the year. he's now three offf harper's rookie record for the that's what we're paying attention to now. they get their first three-game sweep since may, winning this one, 5-1. again, congrats to the storm on winning the hiwnba champio tonight. although we do know that's the team doug was secretly rooting for. >> is that so? >> the storm? >> oh, okay, i got it. >> okay, i also root for the

tornadoes, the -- >> yeah, exactly. >> you got me. >> the hurrihtnes. >> all rthen. >> oh, man. >> oh, man. >> on that note, we'll be as your home becomes more connected, you need fios to keep up and fios is the 100% fiber-optic network... which means you get phenomenal capacity for your tech. now, get $200 toward a range of google and nest smart home devices plus the fastest internet available, up to 200 tv channels, phone, and a 2-year price guarantee, all for $79.99 per month with a 2-year agreement. plus order online by september 30th, and you'll get a $150 verizon prepaid mastercard. go to getfios.com. 100% fiber-optic network. 100% phenomenal. i'm neal simon. i'm the son of an immigrant and a family man. daughter: hey, dad. neal: and now i'm running for the u.s. senate, unaffiliated with any party,

because they're playing partisan games and getting nothing ne, and it's crippling america. i've created high-paying jobs right here in maryland by listening, bringing people together, and finding common ground, and i'llthe same thing as your senator. they say an outsider can't do it, but... all: together...: ...we. i'm neal simon, and i approve this message. let's finally put people over politics. and i approve this message. i put criminals in prison during the day i'm jennifer wexton, and as a prosecutor, and changed diapers at night. later, when i had a law practice, i volunteered to help moms collect child support. then, as state senator, i worked across party lines to target sexual offenders and take guns away from domestic abusers. in congress, i'll stand up to president trump. i approve this message because, like every working mom, what's ahead is as important as what's in the rearview mirror.

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[ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- daniel radcliffe, matt czuchry,