"news4 midday" begins with break news. >> good morning, thanks for joining us. i'm erika gonzalez. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. we just lrned that ruth bader ginsburg was discharged from the hospital on friday. doctors removed twoalignant growths on her left lung. the doctors saynohere remains cancer. last month she cracked ribs in a fall at the supreme court. >> officials are investigating a crash involving a pedestrian. we're told this happened on

sout frederick avenue in gaithersburg. e victi is an adult who we are told is expected to be okay. we'll update you as soon as we learn more. >> let's take a turn to the weather and check the forecast for all of those who might be heading outo make those returns. meteorologist chuck belly standingith your forecast. >> it's going to be nothing but sunny the rest of the day, which of.always approved light wind out of the south, southerly breezes wil help get temperatures just a smidgen warmer than average. 39 gaithersburg, dulles, manassis. plenty of sunshine, sun down just before 5:. will be a chilly evening as well but it won't be quite as cold tomorrow morning. rain chance t that on friday coming up.

>> chuck, thank you. >> ay has to find a new way to live after a fire ripped through the home in montgomery county. 75ig firers responded to this house fire. no hydrants in the area made things difficult. they were able to eventually get that under control. >> the american red cross saysa it given aid to the victims of four fires over the weekend. a family of nine was displaced after their home caught fire in capital heights. >> reporter: you have to imagine this family is grateful they still have each other, that nou major is were suffered and that their home appears to have

damage.r so perhaps they'll celebrate christmas here once again very soon. but as for right now, they are displaced, as areerany o families across our region herep the firetment called to this dade street home just after 4:00 p.m. on christmas day. they found that fire to o have brok on the first level of this home and quicy sent heavy smoke throughout the home and into the air as well. a next door neighbor happened tn have she fire and the flames and said he raced over to lp. >> we noticed all the flames and smoke coming from the house. me we ately ran out of the house and ran over to see where we could be any assistance and weoticed a guy was still in the house so we assist him out the. wind >> reporter: and overnight we to dnc.c. fire crews attendi a home, a two-story home showing

fire. four adults from h thate were able to escape and they are now disp some good news here, no reports of any major injuries as a result, but of course it's not a great feeling to be pushed from your home due to fire on christmas day of all days. in capital heights, i'musn finch, news4. >> whileo the investigation i the causes of the fires has not been co ileted, there a warning for anyone with a christmas tree. when the holiday is over, manpe le can neglect their trees. when a tree stops dropping a lot of needles, that is the best timereo cle it. >> we're learning more about a serious overnight crash in roville. it happened near llins avenue and rockville pike.

we know four peoplert were at least two rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. >> new this midday, crews took two people to the hospital follshing a c in fairfax county. one of them suffered life-threatening injuries. this is chopper 4 over fairfax county parkway. this is about 7:00 thimorning. fairfax county police say a car and a dump truck cracked. that cause is now under investig mion. christma be over but that doesn't mean that everybody is back to work. a partial government shutdown continues over a border wall fight. >> there is also an investigation under way into the death of aigrant child. here's nbc's hallie jackson. >> a search for answers. new details from customs and border protection, which now says an 8-year-old boy from guatemala died on christmas eve while under their care in t new

mexico agency releasing a detailed timeline. they say the boyas hospitalized, first diagnosed with the common cold and a 103 degree fever. hours later the boy felt nauseous and vomited but the agency says his father declined futaher medical asse because he was feeling better. then after feeling, quote,l lethargic and nauseous, he returned to the hospital where >> i can't tell you when the government is going to be open. i can tell you it's not going to be open until we have wall, a to e, whatever they'd like call it. >> reporter: he's reitemoting he want money for that wall, even if it means keeping some federal employees off the even longer. >> i'd rather not be doing s. shutdown

but many of those worrs have communicated stay out until you get the funding for the wall. >> reporter: that claim part of a christmas day q & a with reporters and an airing of their grievances from dem gaining control of the house soon. >> then there's probably presidential harairment. >> to fbi director james comey. >> it's a disgrace what's happening in our country. other than that, i wish everyone a very merry christmas. >> reporter: to the federal reserve. >> they're raising interest rates too sfast, thay opinion. >> jerome powell says he does have confidence in the markets. >> to follow updates on the shutdown, head to the nbc washington app.>> twas the day after christmas and allhrough the mall, a shoppe snagging a few good

sales as well as make returns. nicole jacobs is there. hi, nicole. >> reporter: hi, erika. if you thougoliday shopping was over, perhaps you are not a die hard shopping. many told me today they are just now getting ward up. you can see it's a bit of a lull. most people have said theytare ng advantage wake yu-up call this morning, arriving at the mall when tre are virtually no crowds, certainly not like the crowds we've seen over the last couple of days. it's been easy going and smooth sailing this morning in wheaton buthe sales are aplenty. one-get en 50% off, buy one free. and many say it's time to return the things that didn't work and also get a few extra goodies on the side. >> this is the best time to shop for me. you tet to returnngs and get

more for your money. >> that was the goal, to beat the traffic, beat whoever came he. i got my stuff so you guys can fight over the rest. >> and ofkn course w there will be many tussles over those sales. experts suggest you know your return policy in termsf knowing how many days you have left to make that return and h alsoe your receipt in hand. erika and aaron, back to you. >> i have to make a couple of returns. maybe i snag an extra 50% item or two. thank you, nicole. >> the mega millions jackpot is growing. >> now it stands at$348 million. the next drawing is going to be this friday. since this game started in 2002,

rawings have only been held on christmas four times. keeping up with the tradition, nobody won the jackpot this past christmas or any of the others. >> a team wrestler was given 90 se to either cut his locks or face disqualification. >> we're following new developments in the hair cut scene all over the world. stick around. it's not the holidays until...

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a former prep school student who made national headlines when he wased convi of sexual assault was spend the next ten months in jail. the judge denied en's request. a school board is set to hold an emergency meeting after the case of a wrestler was forced to cut his hair or forfeit the match.'v >> y probably already seen the video clip but we hadn'trd really h from the wrestler or his family or the community. matt bradley now with the details. >> reporter: today an emergency meeting to discuss personnel matters in the new jersey towne whe a teen-age wrestler was forced to cut his dread locks before a match.

video of the referee demanding andrew johnson cut his dreadsr forfeit the match went viral last week, sparking accusations of racism. johnson won the match but lost his hair because the ref said it violated rooules. the fxpilyssed gratitude or the overwhelming show of support for their son sayings h wa under duress and visibly shaken when given 90 seconds to the is hair or forfeit match. the family says the referee rejected the head covering andrew was wearing and issued ultimatum. new jersey sports officials say th a've opened civil rights investigation, sidelining maloney, who has p hadvious brushes with controversy. alnew jersey paper reported in 2016 hed a fellow ref a

racial slur. he hasn't respond to nbc news' comment. >> mattey reported there. in addition to tonight's school board meeting, tomorrow will be the next wrestling match and everyo will watch t see whether he wrestles under this glaring spotlight. a new report shows scam cdls spiked 129%. experts say holiday scams with the best chance of success. >> jennie-o turkey is recalled for claims of salmonella

concerns. there are concerns thated contamin turkeys may be in people's freezer. in november a recall made several huned people sick. >> big changes to the 2018 tax law cou put more money in your pocket. >> well, charities could be the ones taking a big hit. susan hogan is working for you with what you need to know about filing your taxes this year. >> remember as we get closer to the end of the yr we rummage through our closets as we try to find clothes and other things to fnate to chariwrtyitoff. that's going to change for an estimated21 million americans. doing goods i its own reward. a tax deduction does help shave money off of our tax bills, if we item iize taking the standar

deduction. but that threshold is tougher to clear because the standard deduction has nearly doubled. >> for a married couple in 2018, it's $24,000, for an individual, it's,0 . of course you still can donate to a charityithout getting a tax break. you still reap the rewards of knowing you've done something real good. back to you. >> former redskins safety d.j. swearinger has a new hehome. broke the n rseandew o just dsr he public live krly criticized redskins coaches after losing t th tennessee titans. the final game kicks off this sunday against the philadelphia.

eagles >> and lebron james will be spending the day with doctors. he's suffering from a groin injury. hereportedly told team officials that, quote, he heard something pop. you can see him mouth it righte here befor he was taken to the locker room to be evaluated. it's not clear if he'll be able to play again tomorrow, putting his streak of aying in116 straight nba games in jeopardy. >> days after a deadl tsunami in indonesia, there is still hope. >> news4 midday continues. more on the search

a festive visit at the dialysis center in waldorf, maryland. these children sang christmas carro carrolls. >> reporter: theseollers want to make their life a little brighter, even just for a moment. she started the group as she hands out gift bags with blankets. she know what is they're going

through. kidney disease forced her to go dialysis three times a week for three hours at a time. >> i vowed once i got wellwo i d come back and help people in situations like mine. >> and shontay was able to keep he promise. >> i used to come to this facility. >> reporter: this man has spe so much time on dialysis, it's like a part-time job. these carollers hoping to make the job a little easier. >> i was surprised. it's really, really nice. i love it. >> to support thepatients, let them know whthat they're though of. >> and the carollers say they ho make this a holiday tradition and do this every year for years to come. in waldorf, amy cho, news4.

>> chuck is here, nice sunshine behind us. >> today is likely to be the 14th day in a row, warmer than average. no complaining there. unfortunately we're going to stay warmer than average fort friday but is going to rain, rain, rain again. dag gone it we don need any more rain around here. sunshine for now, though. get out there and enjoy it. perfect weather to get out and spend a little time. temperatures are slowly but steadily warming, most areas still in the upper 30s t around 40 now. winds are out of the south almost ten miles per hour. that southerly wind is a beginning of a change on weather from moist and dry to wet. out in charlestown west virginia, good weather to walk the dog. johnny here is available for

resc rescue. highs day, closer to 50 around town and for tomorrow maybe just a dege or two warmer. but then the clouds come back d the rain chances return once again. you can find and follow me on my social media pages as well. it's a b storm. has a lot of moisture with it. mostly in the form of rain. there's rain almost up into the dakotas now. that's a lot of warm air. even a threat for severe weather later today. if you're flyingowards houston in dallas airport, all that moisture starts m in our direction. we'll be dry for at least the next 24 to perhaps 36 hours. future weather then carries the sunshine in and out during th day today. that southerly wind will help

hold temperature u closer to 30 degrees. this morning most of the suburbs were down in the low 20s. during the day tomorrow, ns ne up through about lunchtime. and a risk for a few showers 8 after about or 9:00 in the evening. we'll talk more about your friday and weekend coming up in just a bit. friday dry forat now, tomorrow it will absolutely, positively rain on friday, probably close to an inch. there's your

welcome back. there are now orders for people to sty away away from the coast indonesia over concerns of more severe weather. >> hundreds have died and the des separate search for survivors continues after the voekend's tsunami. >> reporter: sur are just beginning to deal with the ftermath of this devastating tsunami. more than 20,000 people have now been displaced from their mes, turned into refugees from their own country and conce now centers on the very real risk of a second tsunami. the volcano that started this whole thing continues to erupt. the coastal regions under an extreme weather advisory. authorities are warning people to expect big waves and toaset

ar away from the coast as they can, at least half a mile to be safe. yesterday there was a panic when false rumors spread that a second wave was on the way. people were absolutely desperate to reach higher ground. of course it wasn't real but the sense of fear i very real. sarah harman, nbc news, indonesia. >> the death toll has risen to 0 peopl and another 1,400 people have been injured. >> here in the district some the hardest hit water customers will share millions of dollars in relief as the district rolls out a programel to pay sky rocketing fees. >> reporter: district leaders esmate about 1,200 nonprofits, including churches and cemeteries will qualify for

reli relief. it comes after an i-4 investigation showed how some churches, nonprofits and cemeteries were struggling to pay the fees. >> we haven't been able to do anything about the fees up until now. >> reporter: he showed up at one of the recent information sessions to hearuc how money nonprofits can get toward their bill and how to apply. >> reporter: have you been hurt by these fees? >> oh,. ye it's 72% of our monthly bill. >> reporte we showed how the bill was affecting ornizations. to qualify, nonprofits must be a religious entity, aemetery or licensed with d.c. as a charity with tax exempt property status

and show their clean river fees amount to 1% of their total revenue after expenses. >> we are so appreciative that they have this relief project. a the rain garden that they had installedmounted to cery littledit on their bill. now that improvement and porous paver they installed will qualify them to get 90% of their clean rivers paid. nonprofits that can't do that can still get 83% of their fees paid and payments will be retroactiveo october of 2018. >> we've been struggling with our budget f l thet several years, and having this fee come way down will make a big difference in the program and things we can do going into the future. >> but many are worried. the money is only budgeted for one year and the fees will still

be there when it's gone. they're based on t sto footage of properties that could create runoff. that's why churches and cemeteri cemeteri cemeteries heavily >> you can find more details about both programs in our nbc washington app, including a link to the page where you'll be able to apply starting next week. jody scflr, news4 i-team. >> the money will only be available on a first come, first served basis. >> gofundme says it has returned all the donations made on its web site to a fake fund-raiser for a homeless veteran. this appears to show a homeless helpiving his last $20 to

a stranded driver. people donated more than $400 $400 $400,000. now all three of them are facing criminal charges. >> did you get what you wanted for christmas? if the ans is no, you may want to return some of those unwanted gift. gift ure you have that receipt and don't assume that you have time. nordstrom has no time limits on returninheir products. most of us know they have a pretty generous return policy. macy shoppers have 180 days, amazon will give you 30 days to seasoned somhing back. federationl retail says more than 20% ofrs consu will return or exchange an unwanted gift this >>year. nothing beats a hand written note. how about writing a tnk you

note? if your kid can't write just yet, parents can write the note and ask the kid to scribble or aw something on the car that resembles a. was reading that and thinking, gosh, i'm a horrible person, i've ner sent a thank you gift. one i did, when i first met my husband's family. now no more. i'm here. >> still ahead, it is a mystery many many miles above the planet earth. >> the story behind what happened on the international rkace station that may now spa

wcome back. happening this morning, a mystery is under investigation more than il0 above the earth. >> earlier this year, a pole was found on the side of the international space station. a criminal investigation may soon b under investigation to find out what caused it. >> it sounds like a ploine from a deep space movie, a soyuz capsule losing cabin pressure at first scientists suspect a meteor strikeped a hole discovered under external insulatiin insulatio insulation. but now a sinister plot twist. they disolver the was drilled from inside the capsule. a criminal investigation not ruled out. estions investigators want answered, was ithrilled while acces or did someone

the cap actusule on the ground? russian and na officials have denied reports. tonight scientists hope a more nocent, simple explanation can solve a mystery discovered220 miles over earth. kerry sanders, nbc news. >> mysteries in space. >> can't wait to see how that turns out. >> is there ahi always t ather option. >> well, our option for sunshine is here for now. so we'll take it. >> notice the key words of that sentence, "for now." >> we're going to be padding the record for the record amount of rainfall. >> i'm so ready for this to be over. can we talknow already? >> yes, yes. we do have a chance for asn

flake in the ten-day forecast. as e are the numbers, glum they are, over 70 inches of rain at bwi-marshall airport this year. averag0 inches above the rachl of dulles rainfall. right now we can enjoy the chilly sunshine. highs will be in the mid to pper 40s, a light wind out of the west. back down near the freezing mark early tomorrow morning. any rain chances tomorrow reall do hold off. a slint chance for r tomorrow. but widespread rain half an inco n inch likely aa wide on

friday. we may have to watch out for a flood watch on saturday and the chance on sunday the chance for rain i late, late, late in the day. it's snowing in minnesota and dakotas b from nebraska to the gulf coast. here's yournd planner now. saturday morning likely to still be fairly cloudy but not all that cold. after near 60 on friday, we'll still be near 50 in the whmorni. 45 is an average high, that's plus ten degrees fromag av there. sunday will start a little itillier and stay a little colder. will be some rain showers late in the day on sunday but there's at lea a chanc as we get into monday morning, there could be a enough cold air coming in to have a little b of a rain snow possibility on monday morning. that will be n year's eve

morning. new year's day maybe a quick little shower early. turning colder for the second hah of next week. >> news for your health this morning. you may still have holiday parties on your schedule and the center for disease control said flu cases are spreading. you still have time to get a flu shot and, member, keep washing those hands. more news on the other side of the break. >> stay with us. back in a moment.

if you want to get crazy, we can get crazy. >> no. >> this is the movie trailer that has fans jumping out of their seats. terally director jordan peele dropped this trailer for his new title film called "us." it follows a family of four haunted by a demonic version of themselves.

you can catch "us" in theaters on march 15th, if you dare, right? >> isyl that perry? no. >> you know, i can't dit >> i will not be seeing that. not unaccompanied at least. >> a new real estate brand aims to capitalize on the currentri trend of an made with a twist. >> consumers actually liv with the products and then they decide if they want to buy them or not. cnbc's diana olick explains. >> it looks like a regular apartment building overlooking the bostonskyline. but inside -- >> everything in here has been made together. >> reporter: it is a marketplace of american-made products. >> this is one of the only vacuumsin madamerica. >> reporter: south carolina to be exact. tenants can rent t suite for a night or a year is the brain

child of patrick flynn. he start northeast suites in 2012 but as the competition for temporary houng heated up, he needed an edge. >> people have an opportunity to demo, review and purchase items during the course of their stay. haveore of a captive audience. >> each item comes with a scanner code. if you like it, buy it. aak coffee made in pennsylvania, toaster in lwaukee, silverware made in new york. >> we' t proven concept, a little over 10,000 sales. >> as with any new business, timing is ev and flynn admits he's capitalizing on the trump administration's focus on american made. but while branding experts say most americans do feel good about buyingeamerican-m products, they warn businesses must folks onheproducts, not the politics. >> we always adve them totay

out of the political arena and not to payttention to what the political climate might be and what the discussions might be. focus solely on who your customer base is and your target audience. >> so far flynn is doi that. he's even launched g ao local magazine, highlighting american products that may not be in each unit. the units differ by price. --so luxury and >> yes, we cover all the different price points. >> ach top pg prospect for the kansas city royals surprised his parents with the gift of a lifetime. >> i am paying off the loan from the bank. also i paid off all ytr d as well. what! now instead of trying to save money every weekend to replace the savings account you drained,

you can spend it on your hlf. said it was just a small way to say thank you on his journey taking him from this practice to thatpractice. he signed with the kansas city royal with more than $4.2 million of a signing bonus. i couldn't think of a better way to spend that money. >> they probably spent so much time with him at baseball games and tryouts and >> absolutely. to get where he is today. so grab the tissues and share that. >> as we get closer to t of the year, it's time to look back on what happened this year. rprisingly it wasn't all politics. we've just been b in thisble around here. >> here's a look at the lighter side of 2018. >> reporter: we sing the praises

of 2018. it was a year filled with ups an downs. one definite up with this new jersey father and son celebrating the boy's release from the hospital. or this 2-year-old discovering that his ball magically comes back. most days in 2018 probably went like any other. you awoke to the sound of your alarm clock, got dressed to impress and had a healthy breakfast. rian on't get deputy bowman started on the commute. >> come on, grandpa, i got places to be. >> hopefully he's not trying to get to the scene of the crime where the break-in is wrong but the moves are soright. if you look d sports, check out these experts at the champions tournament in london. and notice how bennie, the bears d des speets stay

are there are keep are your rates high. >> so for a new year's resolution, yous should alw take the stairs to stay healtht bu sometimes the stairs take you. to reduce your carbon trfootpri, y taking a bus. and always remember to keep your eye on the ball. >> oh, wait. did he make it? >> i was waiting for somebody to get run over. is that awful? >> that one guy was a little too close for comfort. >> we're going to get aheck of your final forecast? just a moment. >> stay with us.

wall street could see more red arrows at the opening bell as people return from the christmas holiday. the dow dropping more than 600 points while the s&p closed in bear territory. thateans it's down 20% from its most recent high. worries about t global economy, rising interest rates and politicalce ainty in washington continue to weigh on stocks. with many investors out of the offis week, volume is expected to be low, which could exaggerate any market moves.

and shoppers deliver for retailers in the final stretch before christmas. early numbers from mastercard show total sales rose 5.1%, excluding autos, the biggest increase in six years. ithows the government shutdown is not curtailing consumer confidence. and for the 12th straight year, gift cards were one of the most requested gifts. read the terms and conditions. some cards are only redeemable at a certain store or lower case. web sites listed on the card can protect them from theft and loss. i'm frank holland. > the kids probably haven't

come up for air since opening their new tech devices. >> reporter: this holiday season, santa delivered more phones and tablets to kids than ever before. w parents have the task of setting them up. >> celebrate the excitement but then have that really, really important talk, just like you wouldn't give your children the keys to a car without having ca. insuranc >> reporter: start with a conversation about ground rules, consequences and online safety. according to parental control app bark, the average age of cyber bullying is 15. >> reporter: over 15% have issues like these flagged and sent to their parents. we know this is reay happening. >> bark can monitor your child's social media accounts and identify causes for concern. there are alsorel paren

controls built in on most devices. >> both apple and ios have great parental controls now. >> reporter: protect a new accounts with strong a password manager such as remembear can make it easier.an d before this happens, protect the device with a screen protector and shock-proof case. just a few way to keep kids and their devices safe. liz mclaughlin, nbc >> if you are heading out to the mall maybe today, chuck bell is standing by with another look at our forest. >> looking like a nice day, huh, chuck? >> i'm a size medium, in case you're headi out.

>> ple plenty of sunshine, no complaints today. any rain holds off until after day isn goes down but f going to be probably rain start to finish, half an inch to an inch of rain quite likely. this should but of here very early on saturday. saturday afternoon a little breezyut certainly above average. our average high now 45. then that rain sunday i monday, we might be cold enough to have a little wet snow in there but asno of that looks like less, not more, of a snow chance. >> thank you. that's it for news4 midday. weep are back on the air first at 4 this afternoon. >> and get updates with thenbc washington app. have great day. we'll see you back here tomorrow we'll see you back here tomorrow morning at 4 a.m.

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the winner o the voice is! shadevel chevel shepherd, you are the winner! >> yes, a big night on the voice, chevel shepherd crowned the winner of the voice. welcome to access live. >> wasn't that a great surprise on her face. she was team kelly all the way. kelly back-to-back wins. she's newen que. chevel is here with usod tay. the first stop after winning last night. she's getting the gla treatment, she'll be joining us shortly. >> we have a special message