have plenty of rain on the way. >> let's get right to ttormm 4's chuck bell tracking this end of the week rain. what do you see? >> really, it's a repeat ouperformance of the laste of fridays. a lot of rain and super mild temperatures to come along it.th it'll be all rain. we're going to be flirting with 60 degreesow again tomo even with the rain. but your thursday morning, it's all about thechill. temperatures are mostly i 20s to around 30 degrees under that clear sky. it'll be a bright and sunny start to the day. but clouds will be on the increase later on in the afternoon. we're likely to have rain after about 8:00 this evening. enjoy your dry weather on your friday. te teratures should hop int mid to upper 40s. some spots might get up degrees today. a little light wind out of the southeast. again, rain comes in after about 8:00 tonight. tomorrow, socked in with rain pretty muchtart to finish. we'll update more about the kiekend, which isng better

for saturday i that forecas coming up in a few. >> okay, chuck. we are still moving well on the area roadways this morning. nother light rush hour hopefully. we got the work zones and a crash. d.c. 295 southbound reported before pennsylvania avenue along the right side. so far not causing a delay. we'll take you to bethesda. old georgetown road near nicholson road, left lane blocked by the work zone. beltway after al lentolentown, left lanes are blocked. at's the latest from the traffic center. back over to you. >> dave, thank you. happening today, congress will get another crack at ending the partial government shutdown now entering itsixth day. lawmakers return to the capitol later this afternoon. >> but if you're hopg to see a compromise, you may not want to hold your breath. right now neither side appears to be backing erwn. yey during a surprise visit to iraq to visit u.s.

troops, president trump toldre rters he'll do, quote, whatever it takes to get funding for a border wall. it's an idea that democrats have firmly rejected. meanwhile,he shutdown continues to impact tourism in the district. bathrooms in many outdoor monuments are closed. at the lincoln memorial, port-a-pot in and trash cans are erflowing with waste. 380,000 government employees very furloughed at this point. an this morning, d.c. mayor muriel bowser is putting pressure on the president. in a letter, she said the government shutdown has no winners and asked him to end the impasse. she went on to explain that the peho live, work, or own businesses in d.c. suffer when the government closes. she also pointedhaut the d.c. government is picking up the tab for federal services during the shutdown, all while being, quote, the only citizens within the continental united

states without a vote in congress. after the president's tp to iraq, mr. trump surprised u.s. service members stationed in germany. th president took pictures and shook hands with the troops at ramstein air base. some of them waited in line for urs to get the president's autograph. the presidqt's trip to i was his first trip to a conflict zone nearly two years into h pressiency. the pnt is expected to returning to d.c. this morning. president trump is retur.cng to as u.s. customs and border protection agents face new scrutiny. this week, a second migrant child died after being taken into custody. both he andhe his f crossed into the country illegally. the child passed an initial xaalth in the u.s. but died shortly after. the government is now changing policy. agents will now focus on follow-up health checks for children under the age of 10. mean while, russian presidentladimir putin says that russia is ready to deploy a

new hypersonic nuclear missile next year. the kremlin says it has successfully tested a newll sysm avangard. it's an intercontinental range miss te thatvels at least 5 to 20 times the speedapf sound. it'sle of carrying a nuclear weapon as well. the russians say it could circumvent all existing misysle defensems in the world. there's no way to verify russia's claims. four minutes after the hour. now to a story you saw first on 4. news 4 has obtained a scathing report revealing questionable hiring practices. of its ten officers, six have ficiencies in their records or background process. the report claims one officer admitted during a polygraph that he was disqualified from eolht othere agencies. a psychologist recommended the department not hire tfi r, but he was hired anyway. in a phone teiew, chief

elliott gibson said that's not the whole story. >> they provided we may get aco opinion, and we did that. >> a third officer named in the report had 12ffic citations on his driving record between 2008 and 2017. he failed appean court five times and had his license suspended five mes. more than two years after someone was gunned down d.c. bus stop, an arrest has been made. police have charged xavier milton. he's accused in a daytime drive-by shooting at a bustop on alabama avenue in southeast. the university of marylandc irming more cases of adenovirus on campus. as of wedneay night, the school says 40 students have ntsted positive. last month one stu died from complications of the virus. gettingmore people fro sick, the school says that it will be expanding efforts to nt

disinfect stu rooms over the winter break. starting january 7th, contractors will be cleaning all surfaces inside dorms,uites, and parms. right now police in wisconsin are searching foron t peho pointed a laser at a medevac helicopter, forcing the pilo abort the mission. the crew was traveling to helpea teen injured in an accident. the crew was wearing night vision goggles and trying to land in a park shined a laser pointer at the helicopter. the crew said it clearly was not an accident. >> i appeared to the crew they were purposely targeted by a laser that was trackithem, which is very different than a fixed christmas light which is shining on the house. >> the pilot suffered an eye injury and had to go tosp the al. he is going to be okay. shining a laser into an aircraft is a federal crime. coming up on 4:07 right now. this morning, survivors of a deadly tsunami in indonesia are

being urged to stay away the coast because of concerns of a second tsunami. last saturday, a volcano trigger triggered a tsunami that killed at least 340 pe vle. cano could unleash another deadly wave toward one of thecountry's most populous costs. it was a landslide that caused that tsunami to strike without warning. dramatic video shows a massive boat fire that forced a family to jump into the sea without life jackets. five adults and a 5-year-old child escaped serious injuries. a passing boat pulled the family to safety. the boat sank after it became fully engulfed in flames. incredible story there. a polic trying to figure out whataused a tense train derailment in arizona. officials say four freight cars popped off train tracks east of downtown phoenix yesterday. this created major traffic problems for drivers as crews spent several hours cleaning up the scene.

trains had to be re-routed. sor, nobody has been reported injured. metro is about to get a bit brighter, literally. >> this t is all part of a plano make your commute safer. metro installed brand new l.e.d. ghts yesterday at the foggy bottom station. are gency says the lights up to six times brighter and more energy efficient. foggy bottom is one of 15 ations that now has the new track bed lighting. you can see them on your screen here. metro hopes to have the l.e.d. lights at all stations within three years. a new york city police officer is being called a hero this morning after fighting off five men. i want to show you some cell phone video that shows what happened at east broadway in lower manhattan this started when a woman said a group of guys sexually harassed her. the officer went to her defense look at this. the officer is being praised for helping that woman and not using hi gun. >> amazing.

>> the police officer said to me that he didn't pull his firearm because he felt it would escalateol >> new yorke describe the men as homeless and drunk. releasede arrested and without being charged. new york city is getting ready for its iconic new year's eve celebration in times square. more than a millione are expected to turn out to watch the famous ball drop midnight monday. work crews are busy installing the 192 sparkling new waterford crystal triangles on the ball. over the years, the bal has evolved from wood and iron to an l.e.d. lighting system and crystals. it'll drop 141 feet in 60 seconds beginning at:5 on new year's eve. you can watch the ball drop here on nbc 4. if you've made a new year's tion to lose weight, we have another reason you'll want to keep it,ng besides loo better in your the summer.it in plus, the malls are packed. the holiday shopping may be

over, but the gift returning has only just begun. what you need to know before you head to the store. and good emorning,rybody. storm team 4 is going to be in weatherom alert moderow as this storm, which is bringing severe weather to parts of texas now, has eyes on us for your friday pns. stay wlait

news for your health this morning. a new study says anxiety and depression could be just as bad for you as smoking and depression. researchers at the university of california san francisco found anxiety and depression increased the odds of heart disease, stroke and arthritis just as much as smoking and carrying excess weight. seniorso found that with depression are more likely to complain of headaches, back breath.df shortness researchers examined the health data from more than 15,000 older adults over a four-year period. eason to s another stick to your new year's

resolution to get healthy. in a new report just published yesterday in a cancer journal forcl icians, it highlights a relationship between obesity and the risk of 13 cancers. the list includes breast and liver cancers. the report says that excess body weight was responsible for nearly 4% of cancer globally in 2012. the american cancer society expects there will be more than 21 millionew cancer cases around the world by 2030. the new year will ring in higher prices at the post office. r stamps will jump a nickel from 50 to 55 cents, and tered mail will increase from 47 to 50 cents. some flat rate box prices will increase by 70 cents as well. these new prices begin january 27th >> got to use those stamps. what were once some of the most popular cars on the road are getting the boot from automakers. take a look. the chevrolet dcruz, the f focus, the volkswagen beetle,

the toyota prius vill all be discontinued in 2019. so, too, willford's taurus and the c-max. we're talking about chevy's impala. honda is doing away with its cr-z. and nissan isaying bye-bye to its jwee a as cadillac's ct6, xts, and ats. it's all part of a sweeping shift into suvs and crossovers. i've been seeing a bunch of those lately, which offer more economy.gher fuel how about that. >> some of those are -- my first taurus a ford they've done the remodeling. they look sleeker. i guess they're not the way go. >> crossovers are everywhere. so some maryland students ll have the chance to learn how to fly. >> we visited an aviation class in montgomery county.

students there start with the basics of flight but by the end of the course, they will be prepared to fly planes, drones, and much more. >> it's great. it's awesome. on.see thebu light come they think about, hey, i could be this for the rest of my life. it's really cool. >> the high school is one of 70 in the cousry to offer t particular course. now to a heartwarming storyt that just make you cry. >> a major league baseball player for the kansas cy royals surprised his parents with a unique christmas gift. we'll let you watch the video pre. >> i aming off the loan from the bank. also, i paid off all your debt as well. what? now instead of trying to save money every week, replace the saving account you drained. u can spend it on yourself. >> they raised a good boy there. you heard the momalng about her son. 22-year-old brady singer paid off his parent's debt and bank

loans. he said it was jus small way of saying thank you for all that they've done to get h where he is now in his baseball journey. the 22-year-old signed with kansas city for more than $4.2 million. i love how he ended the letter saying merry christmas and let's all celebra. >> and he' a stand-out athlete. he was the ncaa pla r of the year in college baseball last year. plays for florida gators. >> and aside from alle' that, just a good human being. of ant to see so much more that. >> and he had about 2 million bucks left after taxes as well. >> good ki >> when you're 22 and you got money in your pocket, you can burn it in a whole lot of ways. good to seehat's what h chose to do. >> absolutely. all parents know how much sacrifice it is. not just allheime and everything. >> their success is the parent's >> that's why you have children. >> oh, that's why. oh. nonef the three of us have kids >> well.

>> moving chuck is here to talk some rain. >> yes, indeed. and a lot of it. oh, my goodness. other crazy, warm, and heavy rain event coming our way for tomorrow. here in month of december, we've already had aet december. over 4 inches of rain. the last 14 days in a row he all been warmer than average. today is probably going to make it 15. tomorrow, 16.rd sa, 17 in a row warmer than average. rainfall amounts tomorrow likely to be over an inch. so we're probably going to have to issue a storm team 4 weather alert for your friday. your thursday, though, nothing to worry about. if you got the day onoff, i know what you're doing up at 4:18 in the morning. i would have been asleep right now. none eless, we appreciate y getting up with us this morning. in the upper 20s to around 30 degrees now. thcee are no weather cs for today. clouds will gradually move in here later on in the afternoon. not much of a rain chance until about 8:00 this evening or

later. tomorrow it'll be rain pretty much start to finish. we may not be done with rain chances f 20 either. another chance for some showers coming up on sunday ening and also on new year's eve. 2019 may also start outh w rain. go ahead and download our nbc washington app. you can have your storm team 4 forecast taired right dow to your zip code. it's a no misser. it's snowing in the dakotas and minnesota. rainio fro all the way down to the gulf coast. there's no way we get missed b this particular system. dry weather for the rest of the dayoday. for tomorrow, this is tomorrow morning at 7:00 ael. showers l and what could be a burst of fairly heavy rainer around in the midday hours tomorrow. that'll linger into the middle and later parts of the afternoon. should start to see a bit of a drying trend after about 8:00 tomorrow evening. here's your five-day outlook. upper0s tear 50 today with

clouds moving in. near 60 all day tomorrow with the rain around. 55, a littlereezy on saturday. colder weather for sunday and new year's eve and some hit and miss rain chances as well. now let's go over for a check on ayaffic. >> unlike yesteorning, a couple work zones but no big delays. low vumes. one of those work zones is what will eventually be the new depament of homeland security headquarters on interstate 295. a big road project,rebuilding the malcolm x avenue interchange. today thr tgh at leasts morning, the work zone will be blocking the left side. easily getting by to the right. should be picking this one up soon. otherwise, around the region traffic is flowing well around the beltway. that's the very latest. back over to you. >> dav thankou. still ahead, let the mad dash begin. >> not talking about more shopping. we're talking about the gift returns. atd be sure to ellen at 3:00.

africa t

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life looks good. 4:23 how. the day aft christmas looked a lot like the day before at many malls. this is time-lse video taken inside tyson's corner in virginia. i returned at two stores. it got overwhming. you were at georgetown yesterday. but i feel like the pressure is off, so people are not as uptight. i think they're even more pleasant aft christmas. >> maybe. millions of americans are

expected to return gifts over the ns.t few d for stores, the window to do that is closing fast. >> news 4'sth cory s talked to some people who wanted to act quickly before time runs out. >> reporter: receipt, check. return item -- >> a pair of shoes from my daughter. >> reporcur: check. for your return -- >> it's one size too small. >> i don't like it. >> reporter: check. yes, it's that time of year when a grin and bear it attitude can't hide the disappointment of receiving a gift that just county right, so you have to return it. >> you can see the expression on their face. they really didn't want it. >> reporter: why are you returning some beets headphones? >> because i want to get something else. >> rolorter: at least he td the truth. some folks can't bring themselves to tell a loved one they swung and missed wit their gift. >> i don't tell people when i return something. i just do it in secret. >> reporter: according to the national retail federation, u.s. retailers are expected to handle

about $72 billion worth of holiday returns this year. eaking ofmoney, returns usually come with this dilemma. when you return something, are you a store credit or cash type of person? >> cash. >> reporter: why cash? i because can buy what i want with cash. >> i prefer the cash. i can get what i i might not want to shop at that store. >> reporter: whichever you prefer, just remember is, if you didn't find what you wanted under the tree this year, there's always next year. >> that was cory smith porting. now, if you have gifts to return or exchange, here are a few tips. many retailers have deadlines of mid to late january for returning purchases made during the holiday season. to help you s it all out, consumer reports analyzed 21 national retail chns, and it listed the return policies as best and worst. weee posted m on those holiday return policies in the nbc washington app. just search holiday returns. 4:25 now. staying in the same vein of holiday shopping. you unwrapped the gift, but what you do with them next could make

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coming up on 4:30 now. we take aut live lookde as you wake up on this thursday morning. pretty cold out there now, but the good news, it is dry at this point. that won't be the case later today. >> why? why? >> good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm erika gonzaz in for eun yang. let's go to storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. >> morning, erika. good morning, everybody. thursday off to a cold but dry

art. if you're going to be out for the entire day today, you may want to have the umbrella ready go. you're probably not going to ser rain until a:00 or 7:00 this evening. it's all about the precautionary tale of not gautingt without it just in case. temperatures this morning, mid-20s in the shenandoah valley. closer to 30 in most of fairfax county. low 30s around washington. low to mid-30sy the chesapeake bay. your dog walking forecast for today, this is red. a red isilable for adoption at the humane rescue alliance. got a good looking sweater there l. w a little festivity there for red. temperatures today will climb into the mid and upper 40s. again, rain not likely before 6:00 this evening, but after that our rain chances do start to go up a bit. morebout that a the weekend outlook coming up. for now, time to go to dave. >> let's talk interstates. good morning, chuck. on i-295, a work zone. one right lane getting by both ways. actually, going to stay right. leid