"news4 midday" begins withb aking news. a tour bus driver is facing manslaughter charges in a deadly the crash happened december 19th, just before 10 p.m. near the national archives building. >> police say james made a left turn on to pennsylvania avenue when his bus struck monica adams carlson and her 85-year-old as mother, they were in the crosswalk. thth women were taken to the hospital where died of their injuries. >> let's great check now on your

storm team4 forecast. amelia draper is here with t latest. amelia. >> it was a beautiful start, plentyf sunshine. i am tracking clouds moving to the areas and clouds wiin co to increase on your thursday afternoon. urrently our temperatures are in the upper 30s to mid 40s, and we're dry during theay but rain starts to move into the area overnight tonight. tomorro onur friday, widespread rain is in the forecast. it's a storm team4at r aall right d-- alert day. a chance for monday rain on sunday and especially on monday. i'll have more coming u around 11:20. >> congress is back in session. members returned to capitol hill after their christmas recess. now the big question is whether

or not they can pass a spending bill to reopen the government. this is day six of the partial shutdown. this morning president trump returned to the white house after a surprise vit to u.s. oops in germany and iraq. he's now back on the front lines of a political battle. news4's scott macfarlane has the latest. orter: cheers, photos and autographs on president trump w first visth the troops. speaking with reporters, the president acknowledged the outlook is less cheery in in waon. he says there's no timetable for ending the standoffver the possible government shutdown. >> how long do you think the shutdown will last, mr. president? >> whatever it takes. we're going to have a wall. we need safety for our country. >> reporte as federal parks and buildings remain closed for a sixth day, neither side is

budging. >> the president has the ability to open government. all he has to do is tell speaker same e'll sign the very bill that the senate originally passed. >> reporter: meanwhile, democrats are promising hearings into the death of a second child, an 8-year-old guatemalan boy died after falling unconscious on his way to a hospital. custom and border protections said it ordering health checks of all migrant children in custody. >> there's been no notice given of aso shutdown day six of the sh shutdown so it seems certain to go to a day seven. >> on wall street, it's a wild ride for the dow jones industrial average, w slumped 300 points at the open this morning.

this comes a day after the ga biggest poin ever, more than a thousand points. en with those gains yesterday, the dow is down more than 10% r the month. >> meanwhile, d.c. mor muriel bowser is putting the pressure on president trump. she said a government shutdown has no she went on to explain that the people who live, work and own businesses in the district sufenr when the gover closes. she also pointed out that 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 stes without a vo in congress, end quote. nicole jacobs isive on the national mall this morning with a look at just how d.c. is pitching in during this shutdown. and it impacts things that tourists to every daynd peep right here in the district of columbia. isn't that right, nicole?

>> reporter: absolutely. during this partial shutdown, it is making for quite the adjustment for those visiting the d.c. area but also for those just itching to get back to work eto startring their paychecks one again. but in the meantime, places le the national mall are getting a little bit of help from d.c. workers. day six and still the shutdown lives on. thursday morning d.c. mayor muriel bowser continuing with her promiseaving c. workers pitch in where federal workers cannot. hundreds ofthsands acrossco the untry sudditting it o but not b no park rangers, no public rest rooms, only questions from some. >> my concern is how long will this last. >> reporter: but the answer to that is few and far between.al ough congress returns to capitol hill today, there are still works forcedo give

without getting. >> definitely sad to hear these people hve to wo without getting paid, especially rightou now the holidays, everyone could use a little extra money. >> reporter: though president trump and democrats contend there is littleom wiggle for a compromise, all eyes remain o fixe congress and what happens next. >> i'm hoping they find some resolution, somebody gives in someway. >> there is no immedite end in sight for this partial government shutdown. some experts even believ it could last well into january. back to you. >> all right, nicole, thank you. and to follow updates on the government shutdown and find out wh else impacted, open the nbc washington app. >> fairfaxun c police say a teen girl found a recording device inside her dressing ro at forever 21.

thishappened at the fair oaks mall on monday and police found a man in a fitting room and he had a pin hole camera, black tapeand a battery powered blue tooth transmitter. and news4 received a scathing report about the hiring practices at the district heghts police force. >> reporter: it is only ten officers and one police chief. howevee what was going on h was enough to warrant some state level concern. the maryland p and correctional training commission is now carrying out an audit. among their findings, the department hired offirs against recommendations, including in one case against a psychologist's recommendation. they also failed to keep important training records, which is required, and also more an half its ten officers

have deficiencies on their records. one we found had 12 traffic citatio, five missed court appearances and five license suspensions. the state saying that caseou shld have been sent to them but it was no the investigation is now ongoing and mayor eddie martin said he wanted transparency in thinks rdministrati -- his adminision, and he's getting that now in this rept. >> the report came back and i couldn't believe what was in it. we're turning the report over to some other agencies.>> it's my opinion this does not even come close to reflecting the kinds of employees that the city district heights hires. >> reporter: the chief said they missing lied those documents and will continue to help where ne can, including answering any questions. justinfinch, news4. >> new this morning, a local nonprofit hopes the community

will help restore what burglars stn christmas day. this is what employees found yesterday when they showed up for work at the acostia pl house in southeast. they took computers, tablets, cash and credit cards. >> metro is about to get bit brighter. literally. >> it's all part of a plan to make your commute safer. metro installed brand new l.e.d. lights yesterday at the foggy bottom station. the lights are up to six times brighter and more energy efficient. they are one of 15 stations have new tracks that have lighting. metro is hoping to have the l.e.d. lighting systems at all 48 underground stations within three years. >> by now you've probably opened all of your holiday gifts.ou >> before throw out the boxes, police have a warning

that may prevent you from bein the target for thieves. montgomery county police say do not put any of those big boxes out on the curbs beuse they say thieves drive through the neighborhoods and are looking te what kind of items you got for christmas. >> anyig ticket item, large screen tv, computer system, ougaming system, if put the boxes on the curb for recycling or for trash, you're basically advertising what's in your home. >> police are recommending you break down the box and put it in a recling bin. >> new year's eve is fast apprllching. >> wshow you how folks near ard far

. takeok at this video from turkey. thpolice diver is literally punching through ice to rescue a puppy that got stuck out on a partially frozen lake. after reaching the pup, he wound up swimming with the dog back to the shore where crews wrapped the little guy up towels and performed cpr. the puppy suffered from hypothermia but veterinarians will make a full recovery. >>le millions of peore making their way home. more than a dozen states are under winter weather advisories or storm warnings. travelers are running into

everything from snow, rain, strong wind and in some cases even hail. >> reporter: overnight aow pful winter storm making its way across t.s u affecting millions from new mexico -- >> skis and showe shoesquired at high poin tennis tonight.>> eporter: -- all the way to minnesota. travelers facing dangerous conditions on the road -- >> we've been in traffic forever. >> reporter: a flight to dallas was diverted to boston. officials even cancelling a college bowl game in dallas as extreme lightning rolled through the area in the first arr. >> the decision was made for the welfare of both teams' players. i totally understood that even though we were bit early disappointed. >> reporter: more severe storms were pected along the gulf coast as parts of the southwest brace for more snow.

>> if you or someone you know is flying through the storm zone or will be, you shouldlways check your flight status before you head to the airport and be prepared for possible delays and cancellations. >> right now new york city is is getting readyor its iconic new year's eve celebration over the years t ball has evolved from. it will drop 141 feet beginning at 11:59 on new year's eve. you canth watch ball drop right here you see the view of the capitol. this would be an even more spectacular view at nighton new year's eve. it part of the reason why they

nt you to ringn the new year with them. it all part of what is being called eat, play, stay, the one o of-stop thank you so much for being with us. we are happy to have the steakhouse on midday any time of yea this is really cool. you guys are doing something special for the new year. you almost get overwhe because there are so many options on what to do for the new year.th but is neat because you're doing everything in one place. talk to me about the pairings you guys have going on at the restaurant for the new year. much.anks so we have an 80s theme party in the theater. >> what's not to love. >> with special guest tiffany. >> and and we've added some

throwback dishes. the black truffles are in season and this is the best time of year to t them. >> is this an entire menufi speclly designed for new year's eve, so you can't really get it throughout the rest of the >> yes. we stayed true to the dishes that are most popular, as well as having sop>>. this is chicken. >> yes, we took the chicken and boned it out. we wrapped it and cooked it for a couple of hours. iro rerp pd -- >> what do you p this with? this is going to be the main dish, correct? >> this ise of our entree dishes. it goes really great th one of

the se-so i'm going to go ahead and slice this for you. >> let me see what this looks lookot wascing on this menu, you get a choice for $85 you have a couple of different options there, several for entrees, you have a truffle mac and cheese on here. thilooks beautiful, though. this is not a traditional chicken dish that you can get anyplace else. yeah. o this was very traditional, something you would -- >> and that's a hearhardyservin. >> yes. we're going to finish it with little chicken and truffle roux

and a couple of these for avavor. >> you a couple of dinner times. people don't have to rush. enjoy a really nice man, it's a nice way to start the new year. we have about 30 seconds left. you're going to top these off with black truffle. >> it's beautiful. oh my gosh. normally a iate like that so expensive. so much it's nice that you can go and for y$85 get a couple of different options, you get a really well rounded meal. >> we try to or of what. >> tha you so much. happy new year to you in advance and we hope you guys go and pay

them a itvis pat, back over to you. >> reporter: when news4 midday continues, we're talking about anxiety and you.

. news for youorhealth this ing. a new study says anxiety and depression could be just as bad for you as smoking. researchers at the university of

san francisco found anxiety ando depre influenced the odd of heart e and arthritis. researchers examined the health data of more than 15,000 older adults over a four-year period. >> in a new report just published yesterday in a cancer jonal for clinicians, highlights a relationship between obesity d the risk of about 13 cancers. the list includes breast and liver cancers. the report says excess body foight was responsible nearly 4% of cancer globally in 2012. the american cancer society expect there is will beth more n 21 million new cancer cases around the world by 2030. >> turning now to the weather, which is still pret nice. so far so good. >> it's not bad out there.

but we are going to notice cloud moving in. then the bottom. falls o it's been the wettest year on record so we're onlyng ad on to that. tomorrow we're going to add an inch of rainfall. but first today 45 degrees right now. you can still see barely a cloud in the sky but clouds will slowly build in throughout the afternoon hours. we'll keep itry through the afternoon and early evening hours. 3, 4, 5, 6:00 stil completely dry across the area. by 5:00 in the evening, we're in the mid 40s and then rain moves in overnight tonight. the national weather service has alreadyosted a flood watch for the areas here in green. this includes the area down and charlottesville. there's a chance this is ntexpanded east our area. tomorrow is a team4 weathert

alay. chuck will be in here tomorrow morning tracking the latest with the rainfall. 5:00 tonight, notice all the white. we're still dry but cloudy at that poin it's not until about 11 p.m., midnight when rain starts to move into the areati we ce to track rain overnight, some pockets of heavier rain out there torrow morning and especially around the midday erurs here, 7 a.m. notice the yellow tis back around e winchesten frederick. that more moderate rainly sl me anders around the east in the but as we head to the late ternoon and evening hours, we do dry out. it is looking dry but damp at that point. 8:00, the cloud still in place but norain. so if you're traveling tomorrow,

you're dealing with possible flooding by creeks, rivers and streams. it going to be asy tot some flooding out there tomorrow. outdoor ice rinks,ot a great aaye detomorrow. either go today oren saturday we return to dry conditions. and there is more

you're watching "news4 midday." we have new developments of a story o a high school wrestler in new jersey who was forced to cut his dreadlocks before a match. >> akristen dahlgren reports, dozens showed up to voice theirg ou >> reporter: this morning a community wrestling with controversy. >> it broke my heart to watch in a young man stand there and be humiliated like that. >> no way should he have been degraded like that. >> i couldn'ttelieve t this pig would humiliate that kid on >> reporter: one week after 16-year-old andrew johnson was forced to cut his dreadlocks

before match,emotions ran high at an emergency meeting. >> we are deeply troubled by the humiliation our young athlete endured.er >> repo referee alan maloney gave johnson two choices just moments before his match, cut his dreadlocks or forfeit. the ref saying his hair violated the rules. the family saying the teen had wrestled the weekend befowi thout issue. video going viral, leading to cries of racism.>> the burden that andrew had to carry was caused by the referee and caused by the entities thd alloim to be in that position. >> reporter: in a statement earlier this week, the family's attorney pointed to the fact that maloney was late to the me

and missed weigh-ins where athles are expected. the attorney general's office say they've opened a civ rights investigation, benching maloney, who has hads previou brushes with controversy. it was rerted he call a fellow ref a racial slur in 2016. each later apologized. >> no child should ever be faced with such a situation. >> that s kristen dahlgren reporting. >> andrew's team has a match today but he will not be competiecause of all of the intense spotlight he's been under. he'll likly compete again sometime next week. when it comes to work, more millennials are deciding to freelance.

a survey finds more than 40% of millennials now freelance to make aliving. some say younger workers are choosing to do this because of flexibility and quality of life. >> reporter: this morning new numbers show amazon's hq2 announcement sparked an immediate rush to buy real estate. how long is that going tol ast? david culver has the story fom arlington. >> reporter: late fall into winter typically chills down the housing market. >> hello, welcome. this is one of our staged properties. >> reporter: this year during what is generally the slow season, susan is working overtime, staging houses to feel like homes, getting them ready to go on the market. >> there's definitely an amazon effect. >> reporter: susan said she only had oneme h scheduled for last

month, that was until amazon ose crystal cityr one of its campuses. >> wet staged ab a dozen homes in noveer. >> reporter: the immediate reaction, homes for sale going quickly off the market. according to the real estate we site, the zip code that includes what will be known as november landing, this saw 22 homes go under contract, compared with three this time lastye r, a 633% increase. >> we had at least two listings that had been sitting and they were priced appropriately but were no getting much traction for more than a month. and within days of the amazon announcement, they both got multiple offers andr sold above asking price. >> reporter: katie has heard from folks across the country f looki investment properties. >> we have a past client who lives in california debating a rental property in this area, hn

was looking here and be arlingtoause of arezon. >> rter: fuller institute predicted the increase in demand and that it would gradually increase. >> not everybody is praising the booming real estate market. search hq to read about the residents worried about losing their homes. >> and amazon doesn't usually edprovide detaiales numbers but it says more than a billion items shipped for free this holiday thanks to those prime deals. and when it comes to procrastinators, a local area topped the list for prime now deliveries, springfield, virginia was among the top five for the most christmas eve deliveries. the new year will ring in

higher prices at the pst office. forever stamps will jump a nickel from 50 t 55 cents and metered mail will increase from 47 to 50 cents. some teflat-raox prices will jump by 70 cents. the enough prices start january 27th. >> if you are in the market for some new wheels in the new year -- >> you may want to hear this before you go shopping for a car.

if you've bought a o car truck recently, you know the cost is rising. new data shows month lily autom payts are growing. phil lebeau takes a closeroo l >> reporter: america's growing

love affair with bigger trucks, suvs and crossovers means we're now buying more vehicles with higher stick are prier prices. so we're borrowing more. the average loan hit a record o jer $31,000, with the average monthly payment of a new vehicle climbing to an all-time hh of $530 and average used yment hid a record at $381. the you've been out of market for five or six years, these numbers can be surprising. for the average consumer who seems toome backinto the market every 35, 36 months, they're still a little higher sathan what they previously and they're certainly not going to go down. >> reporter: one reas car prices stay high is because demand remains bust. auto sales are on pace to top 17 million vehicles for a fourth

straight year, the best stretch of sales ever in the u.s. so much auto makers can and wl charge high are prices, especially for hot models, like pickups and suvs with the latest features and technology, which explains why o experian says out of every five borrowers is now taking out a loan for at least $50,000. >> they don't represe a hurj rtio -- huge portion of the market ut they're the area where we see the most growth. >> some local students are learning the basics of flight without leaving the classroom. >> paper planes is the lesson. it's to give students a basic idea of engineering and drone

piloting. >> mcgruder is just one of 70 companies offering this class. it's cool. >> yes, it is.t it's that bad today. if you want to do something outdoors, i think this is youst hance to get it in before the rain moves in. >> yeah. it's looking like a soggy day. >> fridaynight, it's looking dry. but tomorrow it's going to be dry during the day and then on saturday we do return to dry weather. right now our temperatures coming in generally inhe 4s from 48 in gaithersburg and 47 in camp springs. high temperature today near 50. we are going to be tracking rain out there tomorrow. eight storm team4 weather alert day with a potential for flooding across the area, especially in waterways and in lows.ying ar

another round of rain is possible on new year's eve night on into new year's day. in that could lead to more flooding concer concerns. it's all rain on the ten-day forecast. we're tracking rain tomorrow ann more rain new year's eve. 7 p.m. new year's eve night we're le live tracking rain with temperatures in the mid 40s, you'll want thets jac the umbrellas and probably a sweat shirt under the rain coa as we move towards midnight. temperatus still in the mid 40s but we're potentially trackingea rain. tomorrow you see a storm team4 weather alert day. on saturday t we sta cool off, highs in the low to mid 50s. it's breezy and mix of cloud and sshine. maybe showers especially south

of washington. sunday is looking mainly dry so good news there for travel. it's going to be a chilly day. our nextystem after tomorrow's rain looks to move in friday night on into tuesday morning with a high temperatu on monday with 49. tuesday we're back to near 60 degrees, though s wers again mainly during the morning hours, dry throughout the day and then after that wednesdhursday we keep it dry, maybe some more rain, maybe a little bit of wet y.ow mixing in next frid but right now n o

. a new york city officer is being called a hero for fighting off five men to m.ied to attack the officer was alone when it all happened. >> the department is sprpraisin him for whate did and didn't do. michael joy has the story. >> reporter: one officer versus five attcekers. the ofshouts "stand back" as he backs away and he kicks one of them as he backs away and the officer says he doesn't want to hurt them. this video has been viewed onli more than a million times. police say it all started when a woman flagged down this officer in lower manhattan saying the me sexually harassed her.

officer ali confronted them alone. s polic the men were all homeless and were intoxicated. as the officer backs away, one man lunges and falls to train tracks. the officers radioed to shut down the tracks. now he's also being praised as a hero, not only for what he did butidor what he't do, use his gun. >> the police officer said toe he didn't draw his firearm because he felt it with eoralate. >> rer: the man tweeted, hat extraordinary professionalism and bravery." but now there's acall for answers of what happened to these five men. all were charged for sleeping in the subway. >> those individuals should not

have been let go and especially they should have been mental health resources that they need. >> the former police commissioner tells our sister station that this is an indication of growing quality of life problems in new york city. >> also in new york, that's where the only winning ticket in last night's powerball drawing was sold. 5, 25, 38, 52, 67 and the powerball 24, the ticket is worth about $280 million. poweall hasn't said where in new york that ticket was sold. if you have a few dollars leftm over fe holidays, you might want to consider buying a mega mlions ticket. tomorrow's drawing is worth an estimed $348 million, $210 million cash. >> it's a little less than the

billions that weaw -- >> that still isn't claimed. >> right. >> a tradition filled with compassion puts a smile on the faces of students.ga in williams has more. >> reporter: "winter wishes" is a teen-age production with the potential to bring adults to tears, a promise on which it always delivers. winter wishes begins the start of ever school year with every student writing down a wish. lass, he leadership collap teaming to deliver as many as think can. smaller ones at first and then

bigger ones in front of the whole school. but one spot in every rally is reserved for a wish to share a personal story. and this year that was rose gibbstein's wish. >> i was like, listen, i really want to g this story out there, i really think it's important. >> that's what it's like for many of the people like me who struggle with mental health issues. >> reporter: rose struggled with depression for much of her young life in new jersey and after moving to san jose two years ago. >> i was completely paralyzed with this overwhelming feelings of anxiety andeession and hopelessness. i felt like the only way to be s alive to resort to that sort of behavior. >> reporter: it is an int sely personal experience to share with anyone, but with everyone? rose says that is part of the magic of wintis s, an atmosphere of acceptance no matter who you are.

>> it's amazing. honestly, the word cannot describ it. >> reporter: rose can only hope the words sheid share in the gym touch someone who feels like she used to and know that in troubled times, their classmates wish nothing but the best for them. >> sweet story and a bold young lady. so rain is heading our way. hope? we'll have a final check in a moment. >> be sure to catch "ellen"

verizon is warni fios customers they may lose access to disney channels if they don't come to an agreement by january 1st hbo cinemaxed has been blacked s out due toilar dispute. >> consumer experts stores have deadlines of mid to late january to return items. for example, amazon will accept holiday returns through january 31st while best buy's deadline is january 12th. some retailers different guidelines based on the brand or the category of the item. with your cnbc morning busine

report, i'm frank holland. >> so many of us have horror sries about traveling during the holidays, but an ohio man said he experienced a special kind of christmas cheer abod a christmas eve flight who sat next to a dad who spent several ts just to spend time with his daughter, who happened to bl ht attendant and had to work all night. the dad booked six flights, one for each of the flights his daughter had to serve as an attendant on. it was the only way t two could spend christmas together since she had to work the whole weekend. what a great daddy he is. a beautiful story. >> spent a lot of money, too, on that christmas gif >> i'm sure. >> more on a story many of you can't seem to get enough o >> it is a heart-warming take of shariom a son to his parents that's making a major splash on sociaa.me

>> reporter: he's got a major league fastball, but this hristmas, brady singer thre his parents a curve. >> dear i want to say thank you for everything you've done to help me reach my dreams. i paying off the loan from the bank. also i paid off allbt your d as well. what? >> reporter: no more mortgage, a gift of financial freedom from a 22-year-old pitching prospect who earned a $4.25 million siing bonus from the kansas city royals. the emotional letter he sent his folks viewed more than 6 million times, the grand gesture recognizing their efforts to he him succeed and reach his dreams. >> now instead of saving money

to help me reach my draeleams, can spend it on yourself. i want you to know how much i appreciate you. >> reporter: a christmas pitch right down the middle, striking the heart with love and appreciation. >> i'm not crying, you're crying! >> what a son. >>amazing. amelia's crying. story every azin time we see it. >> time for a final check on your forecast. a >> is wha fantastic story, i do have to agree. on to the weather now, here's theatest check of storm team4 radar. 's hard to miss this system bringing severe weather to louisiana and mississippi right now. a trnado watch has been posted and a few tornado warnings right now. this is what's headed our way overnight tonight and tomorro thankfully no severe weather if you're traveling tomorrow and friday, but know you'll be dealing with wet roads for the

early after ond midday hours. we do dry out tomorrow night. y saturday mainly and sunday and then another system brings more rain later monday on into tuesday. so that's going to be new year's eve night on into your new year's day. n gh temperatures on monday the mid to upper 40s. on tuesday we're back to near 50. >> that's it for us. we are back on the air this afternoon first at 4:00. you can get news and weather updates any tim with the nbc washington app. have a great afternoon.

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i just got a call from the academy, and that call basically said, kevin, apogize to your tweets of old or we're going to have to movendn a find another host. tweets from 2009. that's the past. the reason it's in the pastca i use i have addressed it several times. this is not the first time this has come up. i have spoken on. i've said where the rights and wron where. said who i am now versus who i was then. i've done it. i'm not going to continue to go back and tap into the day of old when i moved on. the same energy w thatent into findingse tho old tweets can be the same energy in finding the response to the questions that have been asked years of years