braving fire thick smoke and even death. witnesses mount a stunning rescue after a fiery crash. recent rains may leave your basent with ooding. the tips you need to stop major problems later. " "news 4 todtarts now. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. 4:00 a.m. calm butta cloudy to the morning. storms are coming later today. >> we're just glad there's no rain thismorning. we'll check on your commute with melissa mollet and your first 4 traffic. first storm team 4 m beorologist chell and sheena parveen. arittle warme this morning. >> much milder, much more humid. a little hint of l semer around here. >> oh, yes, followed by some summer thunderstorms. >> absolutely right. >> this morning you don't need the r umbrellht now, but i would say take it with you because you may be running into so of these afternoon storms

and the radar, finally no rain for the morning atcommute. good news. we have fog. w we'reching storms off to the west right now. eventually later on today they'll be organizing and giving us a chance for some potentially severe weather. here is our severe risk area for today shown in yellow. it'sd mostly aro the d.c. metro area and north. areas in northern virginia and maryland are going to be under this this afternoon. damaging winds, lightning, heavy rain, potential for hail. that's going to be the case later on today. so just keep that in mind as you're heading out. now the visibility is fairly low inome spots. quantico is under a mile here. in the district we've seen se fluctuations. be careful on the roads. temperature wise in the low 70s. severe threat won't be here until later this afternoon. we'll bak down the timing coming up. let's head to melissa with what's happening o theroads. >> good morning, sheena. take a look at this. first 4 trafficlert this morning. this will be an issue for a lot of folks here. this is a police-involved crash.

we have the video here and we'll have more on that int j second. outbound new york avenue in northeast averted to montana avenue. northbound bladensburg road. all lanes blocked by that crash. an investigation underway there. a bign. situat reporter on the way. we'll have live reports coming up this morng. 14th street to w street water main break. all lanes blocked ere. in mcclean, inner loop after the tow road work z e with th right lane getting by. eun? >> melissa, thank you. as melissane ment a d.c. police suv has been involved in a bad crash. >> w have some video from the scene. angie goff at the live desk with details. >> aaron and eun, we want to take a look at the video here. take a look at how mangled this suv is. a small suv also badly damaged a this crash as we take closer look. this is the busy intersection of new york avenue and bladensburg

northeast. we're looking at how the crash happened and the conthtion of e officer and other driver. the passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the accident. what we can tell just by at it, at the video, it looks ike this was a head-on collision. our news 4's nicole jacobs is headed tohe scene rightnow. we will continue to keep you updated here on the air as well as online. back to you, eun. >>an e, thank you. your time is 4:03. developing overnight, t all male senate judiciary committee has picked a female prosecutor from arizona to question brett kavanaugh and his accuser on thursday. her name is rachael mitchell. kavanaugh has denied the accusations and says he is anxious to answer questions during the hearing. president trump, who has been reserved in h the controversy, railed against the democrats during a visit to the u. yesterday.

he says they want to derail this nomination. >> the democrats are playing a con gamec-o-n, a con game. >> is there anything -- >> they know it's con game. they know he's high quality.g they're weng at each other. >> president trump also blasted kavanaugh's second accuser, debra ramirez. she alleges kavanaugh exposes himself at a party at yale but says she has memory gapssh becae was drinking. those gaps are not a good enough reason to stop the confirmation. so who is rachel mitchell? the process by which republicans selected her to question both judge kavanaugh and dr. ford has so far remained a mystery. we are learning new wetails abou she is and the experience she s. she works for maricopa county, arizona. she is chooeief of thepecial

victims division. the judiciary committee staff contacted her this week jeend this morning known as america's dad will wake up in a maximum security prison 30 miles north of philadelphia. yesterday bill cosby wasse enced to three to ten years for sexual assault on a woman i0 . the judge called cosby a sexually violent prator. so after that he was booked into jail, his mug shot was taken and he was moved to prison. the defense team says it will appeal the case. now to a fiery rescue in prince william county. a man braved fire, smoke, possible exp tsions help save wur strangers. >> the peopleere trapped after a head-on crash on ridgefield city. you can see the flames shooting out of the cars yesterday.tn ses say a silver chrysler jumped the median, slammed head on into that jeep. david ayala was behind the jeep. he iediately ran ove to help.

he and another man went through the sun roof to pull the driver from the burning jeep. >> we tore down the jeep sun roof to get him out and he was just completely hurt. the gentleman had a broken leg. the steering wheel was compressed on his chest. he couldn't breathe. i hope everyone is okay. w everyonets to go back home every day so -- >> ayala was able to pull theut driverf the chrysler. firefighters rescued the trapped passengers. all four people were seriously hurt and medivaced to the hospital. the district's recent spiun in violence continued last night. two men were shot on benny road in northeast. we're told both were sitting inside a car outside a carry out restaurant when a man walked up and shot them. both survived. extra patrols have been in the area since last friday when people were shot. as of this morning, there have been at least 119 homicides in d.c. that number has already

surpassed all the killings in 2017 when there was 116. today work will at this point on a big sinkhole on sixth street in southeast washington. water main burst causingru ing water and that road collapsed. led to trucks were c get cars off the street before they were swallowed by the le sinkho neighbors tell news 4 they're worried not enough is being done to identify problems before big issues likehis happen. >> if you don't fix the pipe like you are supsed to, although you are taking the fee from us, then this is what's goeng to ha this can happen any time. >> this is happening around the corner from the practice facility. neighbors say all the new development is putting pressure on old pipes. got to pay attention to the infrastructure when you're things in these >> exactly. a maryland family is pleading for the driver who hit and killed their s to come

forward. >> 17-year-old adrian arahita was wrapping uk w with his dad on sunday in gainesville when he was killed.or investig have a new clue that may help lead to the driver. this security camera footage shows the car slowing down before taking off.s investigatre looking for a white chrysler 300. a 25 to010 model that will likely have damage to the front on the drer's side. a go fund me page has been set up to help adrian's famil funeral costs. you can find that information in the nbc washington app. today there will be a memorial ride for the k man who illed riding a scooter in . carlos santiaz martine w hit and pinned. today's ride will begin at 5:30 p.m. in dupont circle. if you've recved a d.c. speed camera ticket, you're not alone.

aaa says this program has generated more than a million alone.s next year even more people are expected to get tickets. aaa saysse that's becew speed cameras are harder to see. all those tickets have added more than $100 million in revenue for the distct. let me tell you, drivers hate these cameras, yes. with mid terms right around the corner, theast of "hamilton" took on another role. the actors and the crew helped people to register to vote. yesterday's effort was part of national voter registration they helped register people on the spot inside the lobby. mid-term elections are november 6th. ben & jerry's ice cream hopes your sweet tooth will help propel several progressive fice.dates into they're backing 7 candidates, all of whom support universal health care and debt free college. ben and jerrys is working wit move on, a political action

mmittee for lef leaning candidates. the upcoming elections are weighing on the minds of voters. incumbent senat democrat tim cane will square off against cory stewart. that debate starts live at 7:00. that means you can catch "nbc ghtly news" at63506789 following news 4 at 6:00. we'll have the debate live at 6:00. chuck todd wl moderate and i'll be taking part with julie carey. >> guess who you can really burn he the ki a dale city firefighter. >> we told you about captain eddie duyer taking his chili recipe he won. smoke showing grabbed the grand prize. bacon was the key.

he was right, the $10,000 is being used for the fire station's santa program whereey take santa around in the fire truck tisit terminally ill children in the community. refighters are always doing good. thank you for all you do for our community. >> saw the lineup of the schili. ooks the best. >> i want to try it now. 4:11. millennials are growing up and getting married. >> yeah, they are changing the wedding gift game. coming up, the two things popping up on registries most anwhy. talk about a nightmare, a woman's car exploded during a recent drive. what police say she had inside that may have caused the trouble. plus, who doesn't want to money at the same time.ve the things you can do to keep your basement safe during the next round of ra. chuck? >> eun, speaking of the next chance of rain, rainhaes are going up for today into tomorrow. some of those storms could be on

the strong to severe side. sheena will show y theou

hi. angie goff at the live desk where we are tracking breaking news out of italy. take a look. hundreds of people evacuating due to this wild this is near pizza. you're looking at some of the latest video we got into the newsroom because of the fire. it began monday. strong winds. it was visible from miles away. look at thentensity here. it's shut down schools. this is impacting pizza's tourism. nearly every flight in the area has been canceled but asankfully f right now no deaths or serious injuries have been reported. we'll continue to track it, aaron, eu w back to you. >> all right. angie, thank you. it is 4:16 just about right now.

drivers passing through galvis stop island texas were treated to a pretty rare sight this week. >> we have video of a watern spoute distance. can you see it? there's water and spray creatin ahirlwind over the gulf of mexico. the spout did not appear to be associated with any storm system. understorms and rain a expected in the area. one minute she was just driving along in a parking lot, the next her c exploded. >> wow. >> security cameras captured the moment here in cincinnati. nearby officer jumped in to help the woman in that car.rk rely she was able to get out and talk to paramedics before being taken to a hospital. authorities believe a propank inside her suv may have caused that blast. >> ian't believe s walked away from that. >> amazing. more terrifying video this morning after a school bus crashed and overturned into a eeek. >> polelieve heavy rain over the weekend severely damaged the road. take a look. police say this school bus in west virginia was on its way pick up children when it slid

off a narrow road that had caved in. the bus driver and his son were the only ones on board and are expected t>be okay. t's now 4:17. new this morning, millennials are cashingn on their wedding day. so apparently more couples a breaking cash registries. i'm sorry, i don't understand the whole thing. >> asking for cash to come to your wedding? >> yes. >> do you have to pay admission? this is what you're going to do. >>oou're going ask me for a $400 blender. it's the same. anyway, this is part of a growing trend for younger adulti przing experiences over possession sz. according to the knot, cash registries are up by 50% sin 2016. couples then use the money for all sorts of things from honey moons todownpayment on a home even paying off student debt. cashn couples say these funds are about more than just money. >> if you can gift somebody like

dinner at a five star restaurant on theirhoneymoon, they'll remember that you are the person that made that possible. >>xpts say the average cash registry raises about $1400. the couple, the trend i married over the summer. registrya cash >> they did? >> they wanted -- >> they went to bali. >> they must have had a lot of cash come in going to bali. >> i would rather give someone money to do something than to buy them something that cjuld sit in the corner as a piece of junk. > but they do register for things they need. >> sometimes things they need. >> need? come on. there's a fine line there. things they want to stare at. >> do you need that monogrammed plate? come on. >> mayb >> do you need those three gravy boats? what are you going to do. >> too many cashes in gravy. they don't eat that. >> not registering for three of them, just one. >> but they're way too much money for a gravy boat.

come. anyway, we have a weather alert later on today. not this morning. this morning looks good. areas of fog and but your morning is dry. that's a nice change. we have rain after 2:00 p.m. e area could see severe thunderstorms too so i'll showg you the timn a second. nice and dry on radar. here's the area where we cod see severe storms this afternoon shown by the yellow shadedun sections a d.c. metro area. we could be seeing strong storms, damaging winds, light and heavy rain and the potential for hale. nice and dry locally. it has a ways to go before it gets here. dealing with patchy fog this morning. quantico is uer mild visibility. know that as you're heading out. temperatures pretty mild in the low 70s for most of the area right now. make sure you have thea umbre later on today. we'll be dry. lunchtime dry warming us up and then by 5:00 p.m. we shoultohave thundes approaching the

d.c. metro area. some of these could be strong to seve. i think il' be hanging around through the evening moving through areas in northern virginia and parts of maryland. as the kids go to school just know that as you pick them up you might be running into some storms. this morning, we're pretty mild. morrow, 68 degrees. you still need the umbrella. not going to dry out yet. friday looks better. the weekend is looking absolutely fantastic. let's go over to melissa tat se happening on the roads. good morning, melissa. >> good morning, sheenas this in the district. northeast, officer involved crash investigation. we're talking about outbound new york avenue diverted at montana because of this crashrt and ound bladensburg road. all lanes blocked by the crash in the northbound side. near w street, water main break, all lanes d shutown this morning. another problem in southeast, sixth street, t large sinkhole we've been talking about, that

happened yesterday.e as widen out, 66 looks okay. 95 northboundok looks . southbound 95 after garrisonville road has the left byne getting recovery of a tractor-trailer from a big crash yesterday aaron?oon. >> melissa, thank you. 4:21. saving you money and some home repairs. you can down the things start doing to keep your basement from flooding. plus, vginia suspends a controversial policy. >> what women who visited prison inmates were forbidden to bring with them and later this afternoon on ellen. ♪ ♪ >> that is talent. i'm sorry, you're singing "pro mary" with that contraption in your mouth.

jennifer hudson's of nbc the voice stops by and puts those pipes to a test. you can catch ellen and nbc 4. it's followed by news 4 at 4:00. ellen can make

you're watching "news 4 today." welcome back. 4:24. rain, wind, and a whole lot of lightning. in the past few weeks our region has been pounded by rgh weather. >> the rain especially can do a serious number on your basement. whis morning news 4's chris lawrence can sho you what you can do now to avoid a costly fix later. >> reporter: foded basement. even a wet or damp one can cause

a lot ofor anxiety f homeowners. now water on the floor is an cvious sign that you have a problem, butis mclaughlin with jes waterproofing says therare other signs a well. >> you may also see some discoloration on the drywall, meanin there's some moisture behind there. you could get musty, damp, mildew or mold smell. >> musty? >> mustymells are not good. if you have musty smells in a basement, it's either signs of a basementoo waterng problem or moisture problem. >> reporter: what can you do to protect your homendwallet? >> first and foremost, direct water away from the home. start outside. make sure your gutters are clear. make sure all the downspouts are running away from the house. you never want to direct all of the water fm your roof on to your home's foundation. >> reporter: in addition, seal anycks in your foundation to prevent water from seeping in. waterproof the walls and check your ndscaping. experts say you should make sure

the gradi around affects water in your home. new video thisor mning of an underground pursuit. next at 4:30, we'll show you the police chase that took suspects inside a metro train>tunnel. ood morning, everybody. view over national airport this morninsn't look too foggy there. there are some areas of locally thick fog. martinsburg west virginia with a half mile. visibility more about the forecast and the chance of strong storms this afigrnoon coming up. plus, dropping donuts. a staple for breakfast on the g making more changes. what it means for your morning meal just ahead.

"news today" starts now. now.it is just about 4:30 taking a live look outside right now this morning. a little foggy outside right w, but for the first time in days we're going to see dry commute. the morni how about that? good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. there are trouble spots for the commute already this morning.

melissa m will fill us in on that. first we do want to check in with storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell and sheena parveen. the warning why you wan to pack that umbrella. nole quite in the yet. >> not yet. we h don'te the rain this morning. before you leave, know we have it later today.u n't want to leave home without the umbrella. we could have strong storms. >>ribsolutely t. chance for very strong storms later this afternoon and early this evening. timing is probably somewhere around 2:00. 3:00. up to 6:00, 8:00 right alo the i-95 corridor. lots of rain chances back out to our west. this cold front moving through chicago, that promises to bring an end to the rain here sometime on friday and may actually leave us with two back-to-back sunny days. there is a slight risk for severe storms from washington, philadelphia, boston onp into parts of central new york and new england. we'll watch out for that. is a dry start here