hill, let's take a live look outside on this thursday morning. it's going to be mostly cloudy today, but you'll definitely want to keep your umbrella handy. good morning, i'm chris lawrence in for aaron this morning. >> and i'm eun yang. s here t of the gang working for you. melissa is keeping an eye on your commute. first, chuck bell and sheen parveen here with your forecast. more rainok again. record. >> if you can't find your umbrella at this point, then you own forve been out of the last two months. >> maybe it broke. maybe the umbrella has had ali le too much work lately. >> but you can still find it. >> fpefully you can stilld it. hopefully you have more than one. i think i have about three or four. you're going to need it later today. this morning we don't really have rain around the area except for a few sprinkles here and there. what we're looking ator lat today is heavy rain. we're under a flood watch as we ough the later evening ours and into the overnight hour that is going to be most of the area here. we have a couple sprinkles around the area

you might run into those, but for the most part, we're staying on the mostly dry side this morning. e a lot of moisture that'll be moving in from the south later on today. that where heavyain is going to come from. temperatures right now are about the mid-60s to neaes 70 deg it's a cool start to the morning. have the umbrella before you leave. we could s s a couplewers around by lunchtime. coming up, we'll walk you through the afternoon forecast. chuck will show you when the heavy rainoves in. let's send it over to melissa, get a check on the roads. >> good morning, sheena. right now, tysons corner, inner loop of the beltway, two left lanes getting by the work zone. not really seeing slow down. live look at the beltway at kenilworth -- for some reason that's popping up. but it's looking good. northwesten newton street bet 18th and 17th street, lanes blocked with pole activity. and fairfax county to the parkway, you're on time. going to take you eight minutes. >> thank you, melissa. it's 4:31.

the stage is set for a blockbuster hearing today on capitol hill. supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexual assault, dr. christine bla ssey ford, will testify before the senate judiciary committee during her testimony, dr. ford will deta the alleged assault that happened at a high school party in montgomery county. this is video o dr. ford taking a polygraph test to verify her accusations, which she passed. kavanaugh hasaid the incident never happened. you can watch the hearing this morning right here on nbc 4. we will have an nbc news special report at 9:30. >> rhel mitchell will be asking the questions at today's hearing. she's chief of the special victims division in maricopa county, arizona.er three oomen have also accused kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, although none of them will testify today. deborah ramirez claims kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a party in college. the third accer, julie swetnick, says back in the early '80s, she observed kavanaugh and others at house parties where the punch was spiked in order to

take advantage of the girls. last night, an unidentified woman alsame forward saying 20 years ago she witnessed kavanaugh assault a woman. along with the rest of the country, psident trump will be paying close attention to today's hearing. a a news conference yesterday, heitted that christine blasey ford's testimony could change his mind about kavanaugh's n ination. comiup, news 4's tracie potts will have a lot more on today's hearing. this morning, thea bethe school that brett kavanaugh attended at the time of dr. ford's alleged assault is defending its reputation. georgetown prep released a s statemening in part, the image that has been presented on social media andus in varews outlets depicts recklessness, llegal conduct, and lack of respect for persons. it is demonstrably false that such cultu or behavior is tolerated, still less encouraged to georgetown prep. also y, the metro board is expected to extend the contract o for another three years.

he'll also be getting raise. he's going to start out with a baseline $435,000 a year performance increases every year. he has been the gm for metro since 2015. the man believed to be responsible for stabbing a jogger to death in log circle was already well-known to metro anthonwford is accused of clice. killing wendyt martinez random earlier this month. news 4 has learned crawford had been sied sicited six times in t two years for fare evasion on metro. some say it points to a need for tougher penalties against fe evaders. they're stepping up patrols in key areas like the swing arms to crack down o fare evaders. the time is now 4:34. a check of your top stories.d police nelp finding a suspected killer in northeast d.c. this is a man f wanted a monday night murder on benning road. investigators need help finding

out who this person is and where to find him. they're also trying to fd anthony farmer for another benning road shooting that f injurer people over the weekend. two people had to be cut from a car andir lifted to a hospital in yet another crash on route 210 in prince george's county. indian head highway was shut down in both directions for hours last night. witnesses say cement truck swerved into southbound traffic, trying to avoid a car at the swan street road intersection. a womnd child in another car were checked out on the scene. no word on whether speedalr hol were factors in the crash. judge brett kavanaugh's confirmation hearing was front and center during the debate last nht. incumbent democratic senator tim kaine and his republicanal nger corey stewart took the stage. you can watch the debate on our nbc washingto app.

congress passed a bill averting anoer government shutdown. that's good news for federal employees. yesterday president trump agreed to sign the bill even though its does not addhe president's border wall with mexico. the bill will keep the government running thrgh december 7th. it's now 4:36. bryce harper may have played his last home game with the nats. last night he took the fieldhe againstiami marlins. before the game, he was recognized as nats player of the year. although he went hitless with a pair of strikeouts, the crowd did give him a ton of love. whichever team harper signs with is summer in free agency, he says his heart lies in d.c. >> you never know what's going to ha ien, so didn't really want the farewell kind of treatment. i was able to go out there and enjo that, i guess and not really think about too much of it being my last game or it not being my last gam >> i hope it's not his last game. when he asked about this sign on top of the building that read eight more years of 34, he responded, eight years sounds

kind of short. >> i think he's looking for one of those ten-year, $400 million deals. >> something crazy like that. the nats did end up winning 9-3. the game did end early because of the rain we all experienced. >> now they're heading out to denver to end the season with a series agast the rockies. first game is tomorrow just after 5:00 in the afternoon. >> he's so exciting tatch and brings such star power. >> but if he walks, you could maybe useha tt money to help other areas. >> thinking like a businessman. >> that's right. it's4:37. here's another big d.c. star making a surprise appearance. still ahead, the new details. may mayor bowser shared abouter new baby. and caught on video, parents putting their child in the trunk putting their child in the trunk of a

i put criminals in prison during the day i'm jennifer wexton, and as a prosecutor, and changed apers at night. later, when i had a law practice, i volunteered to help mot. collect child suppor then, astate senator, i worked across party lines to target sexual offenders and take guns away from domestic abusers. in congress, i'll stand up to presidentrump. i approve this message because, like every working mom, what's ahead is as important as what's in the rearview mirror.

what was supposed to be a fun night celebrating the jewish holidaynded in this horrific accident. these shocking pictures are out of spring valley,ew york, overnight. fire officials say 50 to 60 people were on theck of the home when it collapsed. about half aozen of those people had to be taken to the hospital. all of them are expectedbe t okay. well, call it a social media experiernt gonebly wrong. a chicago dad says he was only trying to prove a point when he put his son in therunk of a car. >> but this experiment turned intothree-week ordeal with city officials to try to get the little boy back. here's what happened. the parents planned a multicamera shoot to shed a highlight on child endangerment. that's the good cause. the couple is filmedin explag to their 3-year-old about that's abouto happen. once they started the experiment, what they wanted to happen did. someone actually called the police, and the dad was arrested

and charged. their son was placed in child protective services with a relative. >> i was in shock. >> they are hurting my son emotionally at this point. he's not home with his parents who love him very much. what else do they want from us? >> the family tells us they've been able to regain custody of their son, but the father still face one count of misdemeanor child endangerment. he's set to appear in court tomorrow. even if you're trying to prove a point, what if something went wrong and your child was stuck in the trunk? i just feel like that is a dangerous -- >> maybe if you're going to do that, you go to the police first and get their input on something like that. all right. chuck, what do you say today? >> i say let's focus on the sunshine for the weekend. there's more clouds and no ecnshine in your ft for today. if you are beach bound for the weekend, i know it's hog week in oceanside. if y're taking the hog and riding it down to the beach this weekend, good idea. saturday and sunday are looking amazin

shoo e th sheena will have your complete forecast coming up. plus, improvg safet standards for the semi trucks you share the road with. we're going to fill you in on the cra test reporsht cancer is smart. it pushes us. we push back. challenging conventional thinking. finding smarter soluons. that's what makes cancer treatment centers of america one of the leaders in precision cancer treatment. using tools like advanced genomic testing and immunotherapy to bring more optionto our patients. we're not just fighting cancer any more. visit cancercenter.com/outsmart to learn more.

.>> welcome back. it's 4: there's a lot riding on today's potentially blockbusterap heari onol hill. >> supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh and a woman accusin him of sexual assault, dr. christine blasey ford, will both testify before the senate judiciary committee. ford is one of four women accusing the judge of sexual misconduct. news 4's tracie potts is live on capitol hill with more o what we can expect. e already got a preview of her opening statement, right? >> right, we've already seen the opening statements of judge calf gn -- kavanaugh, denyi all of this, and dr. ford detailing the sexual assault. she says t sheught that brett kavanaugh was going to kill her if she hadn't gotten away. kavanaugh will deny that and ano of theer allegations, including a couple new anonymous

ones. he will deny that they ever happened. admitting he drankoo much sometimes in high school that, he did things that made him cringe, but they were juvenile o acts, nothinghe degree of what's being described at this point. so we'll see somethack and f with democrats asking their own questions, republicans their five minutes at a time to the attorney that they've hired to ask the questions for them. >> andtr ie, we've heard from president trump yesterday. now he says he's still h standi nominee. he did say he'd be watching closely. take a >> they're giving the women a major chance to speak. it's possible i'll hear that and myl say, hey, i'm changing mind. that is possible. >> what's the reaction thi morning to those comments from the president? >> well, it's a bit of a shift. we began with the white house and the president firmly and staunchly behind judge kavanaugh. while he continues to say that he sports kavanaugh, now kind oo

opening this a bit to say, lwwant to hear what she has to say. hes said he wanted to hear the accuser, but also now saying he could be convinced otherwise even thoug the president added that his own experience withxu misconduct allegations lead him to believe that these simply aren't true. >> sort o ging himself an out just in case his nomination starts to go down. >> watching closely for sure. tracie, thank you. you can watch this morning's hearings right here on nbc 4 and in the app. we'll have an nbc news special report. the hearing is expected to begin at 9:30. fairfax county police are raising money for o of their own after a horrific crime. a19-year veteran of the fairfax coolty police department,e say his ex-wife shot their 11-year-old and 8-year-old daughters at her home in west virgia last thursday. the 8-year-old died, but the 11-year-old managed to escape. according to court documents, she allegedly confessed sin

nded to kill both daughters and herself. she's charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. fellow officers have set up a g fund me page for the officer and his daughter. we put that link on the nbc washington app. a jury is set to return mondayil to a princeam county courtroom for the sentencing phase of the capital murder trial for a man from woodbridge. the jury found ron hamilton guilty of killing his wife and a prince william county police officer back in february of 2016. prosecutors say hamilton opened fire on the officers who responded to the scene. hamilton is facing the possibility of the death penalty. new this morning, metro has decided to dissolve the rider advisory council. the board says it will prioritize rider feedba to online surveys. chairman jack evans told "the

post," the rider advisory council was not needed anymore because riders can give efficient feedback tedough social. mayor muriel bowser cut the ribbon on the secon of several new homeless slters for families across the district. she took a pretty surprise guest with her. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: the distrt took a big step toward closing the old d.c. general shelter for homeless families wednesday morning when mayor bowser cut the ribbon on the second of a series of smaller family based shelter. she showed up wit her adopted may b baby miranda. the district is opening similar family shelter across the city while the

. while these new shelters will do away with the need for d.c. general, more than 470 families still remain living in hotels. bowser administration is working to move allho of families to permanent housing. in the district, mark seagraves. news >> that's a treat to see the baby, right? look at her. how adorable is she. the mayor adopted miranda back in may. she took a little time off. she's been talking about it. sheold hoda about the challenges of balanng work and life. we all know that. it's not easy. >> it's tough. and we're not the mor of.c. >> no, no. although, you know, this is hard. it's reallyd. h well, i love thisext story. look at this guy. this injured turtle now has his very own wheelchair made of legos. i it. this turtle is recovering at the maryland zoo after he was found with fractures to the bottom of

his shell. after surgery, a veterinary stent at the university of maryland sketched a customized wheelchair and sent it to a friend who built the chao out of leg bricks. i love this. the frame surrounds the turtle's shell and sits on four wheels. look at him >> and he'll never get a flat tire. >> and h doesn't have to move that fast. >> what if he gets stuck in th mud and his wheels don't spin? >> it's so fitting that the university of maryland stepped up. >> if nothing else, our degree has imbued a sense of responsibility to turtles everywhere. we're both maryland alum. >> fear the turtle. >> but tris, you did help make that? >> no, but i doove turtles everywhere. >> okay. anyw, in this kind of weather, the turtles -- i don't know, do they like it?

a lot of creatures come out in this rain, try to get into your house. this morning the good news is we're not looking at so much ouin through the morning drive. it will be cool, , with some showers around today. what we have later on tonight, at's some heavy rain. we have a flood watch through the area with heavy rain that'll move in mostly after the evening commute. most of today looks fine, but you need the umbrella. the weekend, however, that looks even better. here's a look at the radar currently. we have some scattered sprinkles across the area. nothing widespread and nothing heavy this avmorning. we a lot of moisture that's going to move in from the south. we have an area of low pressure that's going to rid up along the coastline. that's going to bring us the heavy rain. because of it, here is our flood watch for today. this is going to be through the area until about early tomorrow morning depending on where you e. it's going to go through the early part of the comte tomorrow morning. now, they're right cool. mid to upper 60s. 70 degrees in washington. if you're exercising today, thi morning is fine.

we're not looking at a lot of rain around,ust the sprinkles upper 60s by noon. chance of some showers moving in by 5:00 p.m. that's when we have some scatred showe leading to heavy rain later tonight. here's future weather. there's 1:00 p.m. showers off t our west. some scattered showers this afternoon. look at the eveng forecas heavy rain moves through. it's pretty quick though. that allou moves t mainly in the overnight hours. here we go into saturday. saturday looks good. .e could have very early showers tomorrow morni they clear off the second half of your friday. your friday evening plans will be dry. over the weekend, a gorgeous forecast. feeling like fall and great into next week. let's head over to melissa, get a check on thad >> good morning. brand new problem here in t, greenbouthbound bw parkway, all traffic stopped. a vehicle fire just poppedp. we're going to look into this more. white's ferry shut down today. high water on the potomac is the reason. that's been happening a lot lately. wisconsin avenue and

massachusetts avenue there in northwest, looks nice and dry and clear at this point. tysons, inner loop of the beltway after the dulles rellway, two right lanes a getting by the work zone there. >> melissa, thank you. 4:55. new this morning, new crash tests show improvements are being made to tractor trailers to protect you in a crash. consumer reporter susan hogan is working for you on the changes being made to keep your fsaily on the roads. >> well, the insurante insti for highway safety tested the metal bumpers on the back of semi trailers. those actually prevent you from going under the truck in the event of a ceish. t north american manufacturers passed all three hetests, earning tough guard award. that accounts for about 80% of trucks on the road in the u.s. theiihs says its testing in 2013 revealedeaknesses in these guards. cars were breaking throughm. t

researchers say that their testing has led to design changes to make our roads safer. back to you. we're also seeing big changes in store for drivers in arlington. starting next summer, they won't have to display vehicle decals on their front car windshield. the board voted earlier this week to use license plate reading technology to enforce hicle registration instead. the decision to eliminate the requirement will not go into effectmmediately. car owners will still need to display those 2018, '19 yellow decals until july of next year. still ahead on ntos 4 day, a nasty crash shuts down a portioncal roads for hours. news 4 is on the scene to find out how it happened. a local man hit in d.c. while riding his backew there are calls for safety.

happening today, embattled supreme court nominee b htt kavanaugds to capitol hill to defend his name against accusations of sexual assault. overnight, a fourth woman comes forward with new shocking allegations of her own. do you ever get confused byn the in d.c. telling you where you can and cannot park? you're not alone. this morning, the news 4 i-team investigates why hundreds of d.c. parking signs are causing trouble, costing local drivesrs aa lot of money. taking a bite out of your

bill. this morning we'll show you in less than 90 seconds how you can save hundreds of dollars at the ocery store each year. >> good morning, everyone. m eun yang. >> and i'm chris lawrence in for aaron. stms hit some of us pretty hard yesterday afternoon. we may be looking at more rain today. >> here we go. we're going to get a check on your commute with melissa in a moment. first, storm team 4 meorologist chuck bell a sheena parveen are here with a look at your forecast. tell us how much and what we can expect today. >> later today, that's when we see the heavy rai move in. ng at a ning we're loo few scattered, spotty showers around the area. you want the umbrea because later on tonight, that's when we could see flooding concerns. >> it is going to be another very rainy night tonight. some places will half inch to an inch tonight from sundown tonight until sunrise tomorrowtorning. riow it's just a mostly cloudy day here in washington. not any heavy rain out there tais morning. that is cly good news. there will be more rain chances later on.