rain moves in during the evening. again, mild with quite a bit of rain tomorrow. could get an inch or more. radar currently shows no rain in the cylmonwealth or md or the district. there are showers moving into parts of central tennsee, far stern parts of kentucky. that's part of a very big storm system which will bring us rain for you friday. temperatures are cold. mid-20s in most of the n suburb. at dulles. 25 in columbia, maryland. 32 in springfield, virginia. your planner for your hit the road forecast, below freezing for most here this morning. splenty ofshine for most of the day, but clouds quickly coming in later on highs today, upper 40s to near 50 degrees. dave, a tough go on 270 this morning. >> yeah, about 2 1/2 miles of stop and go through gaithersburg. signs of improvement. e original crash beyond 370,

one vehicle flipped over, that was quickly cleared. a secondary crash blocking the left hov lane. woods yet.the at the scene of the original wreck, not much left to traffic actually moving well. it's behind this shot where up.fic is still backed elsewhere around the region, we're moving fairly well. that goes for the beltway in maryland and virginia. no signs of any volume issues to be concerned with. in general, we're holiday light as we head into our thursday morning. we'll keep you posted. that's t traffic center.e back to you. >> all right, dave. thank you. happening day, congress will get another crack at ending the partial government shutdown now entering its sixth day. lawmakers from the house and nate return to t capitol later this afternoon. >> if you're hoping to see a compromise, you may not wt to ld your breath. news 4's nicole jacobs is live on the national ml withore on the shutdown and how it's impacting the district proper. >> reporter: good mornin to you. there's a reason we're t standi

nethese port-a-potties. we'll tell you that in a second. but d.c.ri ts don't typically plan their vacations around a government shutdown, but those who areer in the city are definitely getting a dose of what it means to vacation in the middle of one. we're live here on the national mall this morning. one of the many locations not being tended to, according to tourists, because no park rangers are working due to the shutdown. the public restrooms are closed. the port-a-potties are unkept. iis, of course, all according to tourists we spoke with yesterday. those visiting the city and hoping to take advantage of all the the city has to offer, they're having to improvise in order to get the most out of their trip. the bikers for trump organization isolteering to nlp with some of the cleanup. >> this is the image we want r theest of the world or the country to see. americans care about t and we want to pst america f

>> reporter: sadly, there's no immediate end in sight to this government shutdown. some experts are even anticipating it lasting well into january. back to you. >> nicole jacobs for us on the ma this morning. nicole, thank you. 6:03 now. muriel ning, d.c. mayor bowser is putting pressure on the president. in a letter, she said a government shutdown has no winners and asked him to end impasse for the sake of everyone in the district. maplr bowser went on to n that the people who live, work, and own businesses in d.c. suffer when the government closes. she also pointed out that the d.c. government is picking up the tab for federal services during this shutdown, all while citizens te, the only within the continental united states without a vote in congress. new this morning, presidentt trumpned to d.c. after a surprise visit to service members overseas. he began his trip in iraq and later traveled to germany. he took pictures and shook hands with the troops at ramstein air base in germany. some of them waited in line for hours to get the pres autograph.

the president's visit to iraq was his first trip to a conflict zone in the two years of his presidency thus far. days after announcing he's pulling american troops out of neighboring syria. it's not only the shutdown president trump i coming back home to. u.s. customs and border otection agents are facing new scrutiny after a second migrant child died after being take into custody. both he and his father crossed into the country iegally. the child passed an initial health exam in the u.s. but died shortly after. the government is now changing policy. agents will now focus on al follow-up checks for children under the age of 10. meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin says that russia is ready to deploy a new expersonic nuclear missile year. the kremlin ys it has successfully tested a new system lled avangard. it's an intercontinental range missile that travels at least 5 to 20 times the speed of sound. it's capable of carrying a nuclear weapon as well. the russians say it could

circumvent all existing miile defense systems in the world. there's no way to verify russia's claims. now to a story you saw first on 4. news 4 hasd obtai scathing report revealing questionable hiring practices at the district heights police department. the report details disturbing allegations against that department. of its ten officers, six have deficiencies in their records or background process.po the claims one officer admitted during a polygraph that he wasisqualified from eight other police agencies. a psychologist recommended the department not hire the offir, but he was hired anyway. in a phone interview, chief elliott gibson said that's not the whole story. >> they provided we may get a second opinion, and we did that. >> a third officer named in thef report had 12 c citations on his driving record between 7. 2008 and 2 he failed to appear in court five times and had his license suspended five times. more than two years after

somebody was gunned down at a d.c. bus stop, an arrest has been made. police he charged xavier hamilton. he's accused in a daytime drive-by shooting at a bus stop on alabama avenue in southeast. this was back in march ofth 201. >>university of maryland confirming more cases of adenovirus on campus. as of wednesday night, the scho says 40 students have tested positive. last month one student died from complications of the virus. etto keep more people fromng sick, the school says that it will be expanding efforts to disinfect student ros over the winter break. starting january 7th, contractors wille cleaning all surfaces inside the dms and suites. right now police in wisconsiare searching for the person who pointed a laser at a medevac helicopter, forcing the pilot to abort the mission.cr ew was traveling to help a

teenager injured in an accident. the crew was wearing night sion goggles and trying land in a park when someone shined a laser pointer at the helicopter. the crew said it clearly was not an accident. >> it appeared to the crew they were purposely targeted by a laser that was trackg them, which is very different than a fixed christmas ght which is shining on the house. >> the pilot suffered an eye injury and h to go to the hospital. he is ing to be okay. shining a laser into an aircraft is a federal crime. now.:07 right this morning, survivors of that deadly tsunami inia indonre being urged to stay away from the coast because there are concerns about a second tsunami w. last saturday, a volcano triggered a tsunami that killed at least 340 people. authorities say the volcano could unleash another wave toward one of the country's most populated coasts. it was a landslide that caused that tsunami to strike without warning.

dramatic video shows a massive boat fire that forced aa ly to jump into the sea without life jackets.fi ve adults and a 5-year-old child escaped serious injuries. this was in western australia. a passing boat pullefamily to safety. the boat then sank. f police are trying toigure out what caused a tense train derailment in arizon officials say four freight cars popped off train tracks east of downtown phoenix yesterday. this created majorraffic problems for drivers as crews spent several hours cleaning up the scene. trains had to be re-routed. so far, nobody has been reported injured. metro is about to get a bit brighter, literally. >> this is all part of a plan to make your commute safer.me o installed brand new l.e.d. lights yesterday at the foggy bottom station. the agency says the lights are up to six times brighter and more energy efficient. s ggy bottom is one of 15 stations that now e 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 after fighting off five men. this isell phone video showing what happened at the east broadway station in lower manhattan. started when a woman said a group of men sexually harassed he the officer went to her defense. the officer is being praised for helping that woman and not usin. his >> the police officer said to me that he didn't pull his firearm because he felt it would escalate. >> new york police describe th men as homeless and drunk. they were arrested and released without being charged. new york city is getting ready for its iconic new year's eve celebration in tim square. more than a million people are expected to turn out to watch l the famous bop midnight monday. work crews are busy installing the 192 sparkling new waterford crystal triangles on the ball. over the yrs, the ball 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 11:59 on new year's eve. you can watch the ball drop here on nbc 4. if you've made a new year's resolution to lose weight, we have another reason you'll want to keep it, besides looking better in your batng suit. 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 morning, everybody. time to start thinking about thk d. the final weekend of 2018. saturday is probably going to be the better half of the weekend. it'll certainly be the milder half and likely the drier half r well, an chances are creeping back in towards the second half of sunday. comple check of today's forecast and more about tha rain tomort ro

6:14 right now. welcome back. news for your health this morning. a new study says anxiety and depression could be just as bad for you as smoking. researchers at the university of california san francisco found anxietand depression increased the odds of heart disease, stroke, and arthritis just as much as smoking and carrying excess weight. they also found that seniors with depression are more likely to complain of headaback pain, and shortness of breath. researchers examined t health data from more than 15,000 older adults over a four-year period. here's another reason to stick to your new year's resolution to get healthy.or in a new rjust published yesterday in a cancer journal for clinicians, it highlights ah relation between obesity and the risk of 13 cancers. the listncludes breast and liver cancers. the report says that excess body weightas responsible for nearly 4% of cancer globally in

2012. the american cancer society expects there will be more than 21 million new cancer cases around the world by the new year will ring in higher prices at the post office. forever stamps will jump a nickel from 50 to 55 cents, and metered mail will crease from 47 to 50 cen. some flat rate box prices will increase by 70 cents as well. these new prices begin january 27th. what were once some of the most popular cars on the road argetting the boot from automakers. ke a look. the chevrolet cruz, the ford focus, the volkswagen beetle, the toyota prius v will all be 'sscontinued in 2019. so, too, will foaurus and the c-max. we're talking about chevy's impala. honda is doing away with its cr-z. and nissan is saying bye-bye to its juke as well as cadillac's ct6, xts, and ats. it's all part of a sweeping

shift into suvs and crossovers ised the are sur beeting is going away. it's been around since the '40st >> but theye it away and bring it back. >> we'll see. so from driving to flying th friendly skies, some local students are learning the science of flight without even leaving the ground. >> it's a s.t.e.m. course. the idea is to give students a broader idea of aerospace gineering and drone piloting. >> it's awesome. to see the lightbulb on, to think about, hey, i could do this for the rest of my career. it c reallyl. >> it's one of 70 schools across

the country offering thi particular course. now to a heartwarming story that just might make some people cry. >> a new major league baseball player for the kansas city royals surprised his parents with a beautiful christmas gift. take a look. >> i am paying o the loan from the bank. also, i paid off all your debt as well. what? now instead of trying to save money every week to replace the savings could you drained, iou -yn spe on yourself. >> r-old brady singer paid off his parent'sebt and bank loans. he said it was a small way of saying thank you for all their support on his baseball thjourn. 22-year-old recently signed with the kansas city royals for a nice signing bonus of $4.2 million. i've seen this video like 22 times. i've cried 23. >> wow. one more s time than you'ven it. >> exactly. no, really. these are the best kinds of stories. they not only raised a phenomenal athlete but they

raised such a good human being. >> good guy. no doubt about that. >> best part probably is that etter, the fact he was able t say, mom, look what i did. >> good for them.t, >> all ri chuck. where's the silver lining, buddy? >> well, it's going to be nicey to that's not too bad. >> take whatever we can get. >> and it's going to be warm tomorrow. that's a silver lining. >> warm but soaking rain. >> it'll be pouring down in, but it will not be cold at all. temperatures running probably near 20 degrees above average tomorrow. that's crazy talk for december. but this has been a very odd d month oember after a cold start and a cold november. things have really turned the e.corner around h we've been warmer than average every day for two straight weeks. anay we'll continue to add on to that pile. temperatures really staying above our next chance to be colder an thavr t -n average not coming until sunday. just because it's warmer than

average doesn't make it necessarily warm. temperatures in the mid-20s now in the suburbs. 25 in gaithersburg. 22 in warrentonhis morning. so a cold start but plenty of sunshine here for their half, maybe three-quartersf the afternoon. clouds will thicken up quickly 5:00.4:00 or since the sun is down before 5:00, that won't be much of an kiissue. cloudy in place for early this evening. rain chances pick up after 7:00 or 8:00 this evening. tomorrow it'll b all rain all the time. warm with temperatures near 60. this is a powerhouse storm that's generating severe weather this morning down across parts of southeast texas. that heavy weather could disrupt flying travel today for memphis and new orleans. eventually that'll end up in s well. and charlotte that could be trouble for your flying around tomorrow. let me show you future weather. no weather problems for today. rain chances start moving in after the sun goes down.

here's 11:00 tonight. scattered showers around the area. it'll be raining for the morning commute tomorrow. we could have some bursts of heavy rain, potentiraly another chance of some thunder in december coming up tomorrow, mid rts of the afternoon. we should be able to get the rain turned off not long after the sun goes down tomorrow. there's your five-day outlook. 49 today with the clouds moving in. rain could be heavy at times tomorrow. then breezy, not cold at all on saturday. chillier weather comes in for sunday. a chance for rain new year's eve. that could linge into new year's day. let's go to wtop and find out the latest on all the traffic troubles this morning. >>n backup interstate 270, this is where it starts. chopper 4 flying above it, southbound 270 at clopper road. look at the backup it's causing southbound. the original wreck at interstate

370 that eventually worked this into place hased cle it comes down to this secondath crash in 117 interchange. you can see traffic is getting by very slowly. e'll take you south into montgomery county. slow go southbound through gaithersburg staying right past that crash. >> dave, thanks. still ahead, the mad dash has begun. we're not talking about morda ho shopping. we're talking about the returns. and be sure t catch ellen this afternoon at 3:00 and stick around for news 4 at 4:00. 6:21 right now. 6:21 right now.

z2ydpz z16fz y2ydpy y16fy

the day after chrtmas oked a lot like the day before at many malls. this is time-lapse footage taken inside tyson's corner center i virginia t it wasn't onhe after-holiday sales that caused the crowds there but the rush to return gifts. i was there at that mall yesterday doing exactly that, returningome things. you were part of the feet shuffling across. >> exchanging, not returning. well, millions of americans are expected to return gifts over the next few days, but for many stores, the that is closing fast. >> news 4's cory smith talked to some folks who wanted to act quickly before their time runs out. >> reporter: receipt, check. return item -- >> a pair of shoes from my daughter. >> reporter: check. excuse for your return -- >> it's one size too small. >> i don't like it >> reporter: check. yes, it's that time year when a grin and bear it attude can't hide the disappoinent ofso

county rightou have to return it. s >> you canee the expression on their face. they really didn't want it. >> reporter: why are you returning me beets headphones? >> because i want to get something else. >> reporter: at least he told e truth. some folks can't bring themselves to tell a loved one they swung and missed with 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. o handles are expected about $72 billion worth of holiday returns this year. speaking of money, returns usually come with is dilemma. when you return something, are you a store credit or cash type of person? >> cash. >> reporter: why cash? >> because i can buy what i want with cash. >> i prefer the cash. i can get what i want. i might not want to shop at that store. >> reporter: whichever you prefer, just remember this, if you didn't find what you wanted under the tree this year, there's always next year. >> cory smith reporting there. if you haveo gifts 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 sort it all out, consumer reports analyzed 21 national retail chns, and it listed the return policies as best and worst. we've posted more on those p holiday retuicies in the nbc washington app. just search holiday returns. and we'll take a ltle and we'll take a ltle britea

♪ and we'll take a ltle britea not heng ago, ronda starte. and then, more jobs began to appear. these techs in a lab. this builder in a hardhat... ...the welders and electricians who do all of that. the diner staffed up 'cause they all needed lunch. teachers... doctors... jobs grew a bunch. what started with one job spread all around. because each job in energy creates many more in this town. energy lives here.

6:29. we're taking a live look outside asou wake up on this thursday. it is cold yet again, but the n gos is it's still dry. >> pretty shot there. >> bad news is it won't be dry later today because the weekend is coming, obviously. >> obviously. >> it allth goes to. good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm erika gonzalez in for eun yang. dave is tracking trouble on i-270 this morning. >> ie'll go to himn a second. first to meteorologist chuck bell. he's been telling us about the rain that's to come and ruin our

friday. >> unfortunately, another friday with another significant chance e'for rain. theven a chance that we could get not just more than an inch of rain tomorrow but even a possibility of rumble o two of thunder. very unthual here i month of december, to say the least. nothing to worry about on your way out first thing this morning. if you're going out to work or wherever you're headed early this morning, 's mostly in the 20s to low 30s. dog walking forecast, cute little read available for adoption. go tohumanerescueu'liance.org. going to need your sweater first thinghis morning. i think skies will be mostly cloudy by about 6:00 this evening. rain chances start to cre ever upward after about 7:00 or 8:00 this evening. more about that and your ten-day outlook coming up in a few. for now, over to dave.

>> stuck in traffic on 270, the backup southbound through gaithersburg. chopper 4 is flying overhead. you can see those bright lights g south toward the 117 interchange. drivers a getting by to t left, right, and center. the crash is blocking the left h.o.v. lane. there's also another one in the backup clo to 124. again, thanks to chopper 4 for spotting the backup southbound on 270. otherwise, still aighter than usual rush hour. just a hint of a volume delay on theuter loop. that's the latest. back to you. >> all right, dave. thank you. happening today, members of congrel return to capitol hill following their christmas recess. this comes as we enter day six of the partial government shutdown. there's n end in sight either.

the republican controlled congress has not been able to come up with an president trump will sign. the president is demanding $5 theion to build a wall at u.s./mexico border. coming up, nicole jacobs will join us with out this shutdown is achkting oura. a now to a story you saw first on news 4. we've obtained a scathing report revealing questiona hiring practices at the district heights police department. >> that report details some disturbing allegatiost aga the small department. justin finch joins us live with more details on this. >> reporter: that's the district heights police department only has about ten officers and o police chief. seemingly too small to warrant any kind o state lev concern. yet, they have done just that in this case.an the mar police and correctional training commission is carrying out an audit rht now, and one of their findings includes this. the department hiredffers against recommendations, ne luding a psychologist in

case, that they failed to keep important training records, which is required. also, morthan half of its ten officers have deficiencies on their rords with one having 12 traffic citations, five mtsed co appearances, and five license suspensions. that casesion saying should have been referred to the state, but it was not. the investigation here is ongoing. district heights mayor eddie martin told us he wants to talk about the intenauditid so in an interview. >> the report came back, it was just awful. i couldn't believe some of th ings in it. the maryland state training commission did good job. now they're turning it over to some other agencies. t >> reporter: a police chief says he's working with investigators as well as supplying those missing records and answering any questions when possible. live ihe district ights, justin finch, news 4. >> all right, justin. thank you. an update now to a tragic

kennel fire on christmas eve. flames ripped through the dog kennel at middletown valley beagles in maryland. the club trains beagles or hunting. once people saw the kennel was on fire, neighbors and first d responders rusnto the area to try to save the dogs. 22 of them were trapped inside. dr. brooksal of the jefferson veterinary hospital said when he one was trying to keep the animals alive. >> there was probably 15 dogs in theouse being heldy multiple members of the club. kids from 14 to adults that are 70 trying to care for them until i got there. >> six dogs died in that fire. three more had to be euthanized because of their injuries being th severe. the cause o fire remains under investigation. new this morning, a local nonprofit is hoping the community can help get it back on its feet after a christmas day burglary. this ismp whatyees found yesterday when they showed up for work at they anacostia p house in southeast.

the burglars took several commuters, a tablet, cash, bla checks, credit cards. a nmgo page set up for the play house says the burglars then racked up charges on those credit cards. supporters are helping to raise money to repair damages and keep a january show schedule. they're also hoping to put ate security s in the building. by now you probably opened all of your holiday gifts. >> but before you throw out any boxes, police have a warning. montgomery county police say don't put any of those big boxes the curb. ey say thieves drive through neighborhoods looking for what kinds of ims have been received. >> if you get any big ticket items, wheer it be a large screen tv, computer system, gaming system, anything, if you put theoxes out on the curb for recycling or trash, you're basically advertising what's in your >> police recommend that you break down the box and put it in the inrecy bin.

maybe you wait until the morning recycling is picked up before you put it out in the trash. >> great idea there. at 6:36, coming up, a 600% spike in sales in the last month. the local community where homes are flying off the market and why. first, though, it's video that has geee viral. a forced to cut his hair moments before a wrestling match. the fallout at last night's em

we call it the amazon effect. the hq2 announcement hasade some homes in our area a hot commodity. >> according to a d.c.te real eswebsite, 22 homes in the zip code that will include the amazon heauarters receive offers from potential buyers. last year at this time, only three hes hadffers. that is a whopping 633%

increase. the amazon announcement has helped one realtor. >> we had at least two listings that had been sitting, and they were price the appropriately but were not getting much traction or any offers for more than a month. within days of the amazon announcement, they both had multiple offers. they both sold at or above list price. >> gee, i wonder what could have happened. she says amazon will impact the entire region. prince william, loudoun, and stafford counties aec eng a bump. and amazon set a few records this old day season. the online giant says more items were ordered than ever before.sn amazon d usually provide detailed numbers on sales bute said man 1 billion items shipped for free this holiday deals.to its prime and when it comes to procrastinators, a local area topped the list for last-minute prime now deliverie lking about springfield, virginia, making the top five for the most christmas eve deliveries. now here's your cnbbu mornig ness report.

>> good morning. i'm frank holland at cnbcqu heters. starbucks is ending the holiday season in style. the coffee chain is bringing back its collection of tuxedo drinks from last year. the trio of limited edition black and wheveages will be available through the first week of january or while as supplies the drinks are topped off with dark chocolate sequins that resemble a black tie. withnbour cc morning business report, i'm frank holland. good morning, everybody. car wash forecast for today, well, you can take youre chance. ood news is it won't be raining during the daylight hours today. you could get it washed, no problem. just make sure you can leave it in the garage tomorrow because it will be raining on your friday. more about the timing of when it'll rain the hardest and the ten-day ougook com up. the backup remains on 270 southbound from 124 toward m0. we'll havee ming up. co ♪

at havertys we know it's hard to get a good night's sleep... havertys mattress sale is here to help.

with our wide selection of top brandsic and our match guarantee -- you can find the perfect mattress for everyone in the family. get free financing on tempur-pedic and it's time everyonees a good night's sleep. havertys. life looks good. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you have a lot of deadlines in your business, right? we don't get paid. what if you lost your network connection? you gotta be kidding me. chaotic. our gig-speed network lets you download files up to 20 times faster. and we go beyond fast with 4g lte backup for complete reliability.

so, if you lose your network connection... ♪ ♪ you won't miss the deadlines. e having the confide of something that's never gonna go down would be priceless. one more way we go beyond. call today and pay st $49.95 a month for fast, reliable internet. comcast business. beyond fast. y, happening to members of

congress will return to capitol hill following a christmas recess. this comes as we enter day six of the partial government shutdohe. >> republican controlled congress has not been able to come up with an agreement that president trump will sign. the esent's demanding $5 billion to build a wall along the u.s./mexico border. >> news 4's nicole jacobs is live on the national mall wi a look at tshutdown's back. >> reporter: good morning to you, aaron and erika. one of the conveniences here on the national mall is that tcre are pub restrooms that are right here behind me, but with the governmentshutdown, those restrooms are also shut down, which is making way for the-a pootties to be the norm here on the national mall, at least until this shutdown is over. i want to get right to video yeom erday, the peak hours of the day. you can see overflowing trash cans also an effect of the shutdown. park rangersre notworking. think about those nationalug

parks, thetourist attractions there. unfortunately, they will not be open until the shutdown is over as well. the government employee who are still reportingo work are doing so with a big question mark. >> every day we check in and get the latest to find out whether or not we're working today or not. >> do you know, are you working tomorrow? >> so far i'm working tomorrow. i can't guarantee anything after tomorrow. >> reporter: although congress returns today, there still a big question mark as to when end.shut down will both the president and democratic lawmakers have expressed there's very little wiggle room with regard to their individual a perspective it relates to this border wall. sore un when the workers will head back to work officially, and many of them who are working without pay, when they will get paid. back to you n

mall.e jacobs on the nicole, thank you. and stay with the "today" show after news 4 for the latest on the government shutdown. meanwhile, president trump is back in washington following a quick trip to iraq. the president and first ladyvi ted the troops stationed in iraq. >> the president defended his decision to remove u.s. forces from nearby syria. >> the other reason i'm here today is to personally thank you bed every service m throughout this region for the near elimination of the isis territorial caliphate in iraq and ina. sy became s ago when i president, they were a very dominant group. they were ver dominant. today they're not so dominant anymore. >> this is the president -- this was the president's first trip to a combat zone in histw year

presidency. the president returned to d.c. about an hour ago. democratic lawmakers are calling for congressional hearings afterthhe d of two migrant children while detained in the u.s.re some lawmakers working on legislation requiring health standards for iigration agencies. the medical screenings would include a questionnaire, a a review o symptoms, medical history, and a check of the migrant's vital signs as well. this morning, supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is recuperating at home. she derwent cancer surgery last week in new york. doctors removed cancer from her left lg. doctors discovered the growth after ginsburg injured her ribs in a fall at the supreme court st month. this is the third time the 85-year-old has been treated for cancer. despite her health problems, ginsburg has never missed argument c at thert. the university of maryland confirming more cases of ad ovirus on campus. as of wednesday night, the school says 40 students have tested positive. m lath one student died from complications of the virus. keep people from getting

sick, the school said that it will be expanding effor to disinfect student rooms over the winter break. starting on january 7th, contractors will be cleaning all the surfaces inside the dorms, the suites, and the apartments there. 6:49 right now. you probably remember the video, the images of a high school wrestler in new jersey being forced to have his haircut or forfeit a match last moayh. the school the wrestling team will not compete in any event with that particular referee. last night parents filled an emergency school board meeting to talk about what happened. many said the referee's actions were racially biased. alan maloney will not serve as a ref until an investigation is complete. he also faces a civil rights investigation. the school board met with the coach and trainers privately before the big meeting last night. the wrestler, through an, attornaid that the coaches and trainers are not to blame for this incident. >> andrew andhe famil are

supportive of the coaching staff, specifically george maxwell, and mrs. fields, the trainer who was there cutting his hair. the blameere is on the referee. >> now, andrewill sit out a meet scheduled for later today. his attorney said it's because he's just been overwhelmed by attention.id o the s plan to return team soon to finish the season. the wizards just cannoth catc a break after another brutal loss on the road. laop night they were td by the detroit pistons 106-95. the wizards now have 16 road losses this season, the most in the nba. but things could turn around as the team's nexthree games are back here at home. the first one tips off tomorrow night against the chicago bulls. and hope you connected with your relatives in new york or theolidays because that is where the onlyinning ticket in st night's powerball drawing was sold. the ticket with the numbers 5,

25, 38, 52, 67, powerball of 24 is worth more than $298 million. that's about 180f youake the cash option. powerball hasn't said where in new york the tictt was sold. f you have a few bucks left from the holidays, you may want to consider buying one of se mega milliickets. that drawing is tomorrow for an esn,mated $348 mill 210 if you take the cash option. >> i'm on it. >>et go. new york city is getting ready for its iconic new year's eve celebration in times square. ion people are expected to turn out to watch the famous ball drop midnight monday. work crews are busy installing the 192 sparkling newaterford crystal triangles on the ball.41 it'll dropeet in 60 seconds beginning at 11:59 on new year's eve. you can watch the ball drop here on nbc 4 carson daly and chrissy teigen

hosting the celebration. >> hard to believe we're athe end of the year. for us in the d.c. metro region, it has been the year of rain. >> man, it has done nothing but rain sincebout march. now we have another chance for some heavy rain coming our way tomorrow. even that may not be the final rain drops of 2018. not necessarily good news as the early tlook for new year's eve and new year's day could be on the showery looking outside here this morning. the washington monument under a stly clear sky here this rning. a pleasant way to get the day going. it's cold. it is december, after all. clear skies have allowed temperatures below freezing mfo most of the area. today will be 1 a days i row warmer than average. warmer still coming tomorrow with the rain. are oatures this morning the cold side. in leesburg, virginia. 23 in charlestown, west virginia. 21 inss ma.

there's your hour by hour forecast. for today, plenty of sunshine. t too cold. our average high temperature is 45. we'll be above average again later on in the day today. clouds move in quickly later on in t afternoon. rain chances come in for your overnight and into morrow. but today, nothing to worry about. just clouds on the increase. there's youromorrow planner. rain likely just about any time tomorrow, but i think the heaviest of the rain will be during the late morning to middle parts of the afternoon. the cold front should be arriving around 8:00 tomorrow evening. l be the beginning of the end of that rain chance. there you can seewe lot of heavy her today across parts of texas, louisiana. that's moving into parts of arkansas and tennessee. this squall line here genating severe weather overnight in the houston area. so could be tough going for people changing planes in there you can see the clouds have already started to move into southwestern virginia. they'll beli r into our neighborhood later on in the day. here look at future weather. dry weather from now through

about the next 12 hours. after 7:00 tonight, between 7:00 and 11:00, showers breaking out. then tomorrow a rainy commute. as the cold fron tries to push in here, a lot of very warm air in place. eere couldily be a rumble or two of thunder. not looking fore much sev weather tomorrow, but certainly gusty winds and bursts of heavy rain. by 8:00 tomorrow evening, things shld be starting to dryout. that will be improving weather for the first half of th weekend. saturday, a little breezy but mild, 55. showers likely to l come ine sunday, linger into new year's eve and into new year's day as well before some colder weather arrives middle of next week. let's go to wtop for a check on traffi s >> traffic n hot right now on 270 southbound. a series of crashes this morning. chopper 4 seeing o ofhem southbnd on 270 before 370, just past the clopper road overpass. check out the backup.

about three miles of stop and go taffic on 270. once you hit road, we hope this delay is going to ease once they get the crashes out of the for right now, long delays southbound on 270. on the outer loop of the capital beltway, some slowing through the georgia avenue interchange. not as bad as the normal rush hour. that's the latest. back over to you. >> dave, thank you. metro is about to get bit brighter, literally. >> this is all part of a plan to make your commute safer. metro installed brand new l.e.d. lights yesterday. this is at the foggy bottomat ion. agency says these lights are up to six times brighter and more energy efficient. foggy bottom is one of 15 stations with the new track bed ghting. you can see the list on your screen. metro hopes to have the l.e.d. lights at all of its 48 underground stations within three years. 6:55 is the time. f here aour things to know. news 4 has obtained a scathing report revealing questionable hiring practices at the district heightsolice department. the report details some

disturbing allegations against the small department. of its ten officers, six have deficiencies in their records or the background pr hess. wee the entire report in the nbc washington app. new this morning, president trump returned from a trip to iraq. the president and first lady visited troops stationed in iraq. it was the president's first trip to a combat zone in his current term. he ao stopped in germany. stick around and watch the "today" show for the latest on his trip. >> members of congress return to capitol hill today after their christmas recess. this comes on day six of the partial government wmshutdown. laakers need to come up with a spending bill that the president will sign into law in order to keep or reopen the government. hundreds of thousands of federal workers do not know when they will be paid. meanwhile, d.c. mayor muriel bowser is puttinge pressn the president. in a letter, she said a government shutdown has no winners and asked him to end the impasse f the sake of everyone in the district. stay with news 4 on air and on the nbc washington app for the

latest. >> there's a check of the five-day forecast. clouds moving in later on in the afternoon. highs near 50 today. 60 degrees tomorrow but with rain. likely to have a storm team 4at r alert tomorrow. the rain could be heavy at times. >> okay. >> all right. we've bn warned. thank you, chuck. today. the news for the "today" show is up next. >> see you back here in about 25 minutes with your weatr, affic, and local news. >> in the meantime, make it a great thursday, everybody.

winter wallop. powerful winter wall up. a powerfuep storm sg across the country. blizzard conditions in the midwest, severe weather across the south and dylanays tens of millions mor in the path of roh weather. president trump meets with more u.s. troops after that surpriserip to iraq. his first to an active war zone as president. >> we are no longer the suckers, folks. we are respectedgain as a nation. >> this morning it's back to work in washington. with the government shutdown now entering the sixth day with no end in sight. wall street's wild ride. the dow enjoys its biggest single day jump