leads to healthier children. it's being the number one newborn intensive care unit in the country. and giving parents peace of mind. it's less recovering in our bed, and more jumping on yours. stronger is standing out and standing proud. because we don't just want your kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger. >> announcer: "news 4 today" starts now. good morning. happy saturday. i'm mgan fitzgerald. thank you so much for joining us. if you haven't heard, you want to pull out your heaviest of heavy coats because temperatures are going to plummet. lauryn ricketts is back from kva vaca. she brought the freezing temps with her. >> i think everybody is going to blame meen for this. liat least i'm bringing a

few changes to the forecast, as well. it looks like we could have a few changes to the forecast. yes, we're weather alert. yesterday, it looked like we mor going to see a little icing than we will this morning, what it looks like this morning. just because the precipitation is going to l take atle while longer to get in here. you can see, we're not seeing anything right now, just the cloud cover. if you have things to do this morning, we're y. looking good. however, i widen out this view a little bit,hat rain is still down, well south and west. it hasn't gotten into -- well, it is gettigi into va right now. hasn't moved into west virginia yet. all of this has to continumo to up to the north and east. it is going to head right into our area. what t expect, mainly cold rain, i think, for a lot of us. there could be a little bit of a wintry mix north and west of d.c. i'mng really not sehat much right now for that. 1 to 2 inches of rain possible with flooding. the main story will be tomorrow night and monday, when we'll have bitterly cold winds. howbout negative wind chills? we'll show you that in the

ten-day coming >> negative wind chill. oh, my gosh. okay. today, the 2019 women's march. demonstrators are expected to pack freedom plazan a few hours. this year is kind ofn put controversy. news 4's derrick ward is live there now. good morning to you, derrick. >> reporter: good morning again. here's at freedom plaza, where the rally is going to start and where the march will begin, as well. take a look. ge is being the s set up. a lot more people than were here half an hour ago when t we came you. take a look. here's a map of the street closures that are put i place for this march, which begins at 11:00 this mornin now, this is, of course, the third annual women's march here. 500,000 people, ts the permit number that was obtained whenhey got the permits for wethis march. r, again, you talked about the controversy. that has ensued over some t comment the main organizers had made, and perhaps some of the affiliations they

had,pecifically with minister louis farrakhan. there was anti-semitism there. they disavod the comments, howeve it's put a cloud over all this. not if you a the people who are here today. we talked to a couple of the eyrticipants here actually from ohio. said, you know, there's enough room for everybody in this. take a look.ta >> it was imp for me to come to just show support for the march and to show suprrt women. i was here two years ago, and i wanted to come back. >>eporter: we twauke talked aboe controversy. >> correct. i think that -- >> reporter: again, the march sets off at 11:00. they'll make a circuit through downtown, up through pennsylvania avenue, past the trump international hotel, and backedere to f plaza. of course, the issues are women's rights, abortio rights, and some opposition to some of th policies of this administration. we're live here on freedom

plaza. derrick ward, news 4. back to you. >> derrick, thank you. before today's women's march on washington, thousands of people gathered in yesterday's annual march for lif activists came together to protest the march for life started along the national mall and ended up on the capitol. this year, marchs told news 4 they see aindow of opportunity for their cause, a conservative supreme court and on administrati >> they share our values. i think it really balances out the playing >>field. ice president mike pence made a surprise announcement -- or appearance, rather, at yesterday's march. in a pre-taped video, president trump promised protesters he will veto any bill that, quopr, weakens thection of human life. this morning, three children killed in a crash on indiana head highway will be laid to rest. our sister station, telemundo,

was there last night for the wake. the service will be heldisater morning at 10:00 at national memorial park in falls church. ree vehicles crashed on the road in oxon hill last month, ld killing the cn and injuring two adults. according to the maryland state high administration, more than 60 peoiee haved in crashes on indiana head highway in the past 11 years. and it's day 29 of thent governshutdown. with hundredsusfhodsf into the week eth the weekend without a paycheck, no one is at the negotiating table. friday, speaker pelosi accused the president of leaki details about a planned congressional delegation trip to fghanistan on a commercial flight. it comes after the president cancelled the planned nigight o tmilitary aircraft. pelosi called president irresponsible. white house officials deny leaking details.

the president says he will make a big announcement on the bshutdown and theder this afternoon. he's expected to roll out a new oposalec with spific ideas that his administration thinks could lead to an end to the shutdown. the president will speak today at 3:00. last night, president trump tweeted out this video, calling on docrats to join him to secure the border. the news 4 i-team was first to report congress ordered a study of the shut down's impact on metro. today, tbe num are in, and they are significant. metro says it is losing $400,000 per day. the agencylso warns of staffing and service cuts if the shutdown lasts muchlo er. in maryland, marc says ticket sales are down 18% since the start of the shutdown. vre ridership is down 25% this month. here's another opportunity for furloughed federal workers. today, you'll have the chance to

get free grocers. the washington national cathedral is teaming up with four local churches to hand out hund of food baskets. they'll be distributing to those with federal ids. they'll be at mount moriah baptist church in northeast washington. stjohn's episcopal in beltsville. first baptist church of highland park in landover. and mas dcedonia in arlington. it is today between 12:30 to 1:30. you can search our app for freebies for federal woers. i here, folks. the flu season is here, and it's already turned deadly. news 4's doreen gentzler breaks down the outbreak that has hit

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numbers show the virus is quickly spreading across the country. news 4's doreen gentzler is working for your health, to brk down the findings. >> reporter: centers for disease control and preventionri s new information about the flu season, which continues to be d news. more than 9 million people nationwide have already gotten theflu. about half of them went to the doctor looking for relief. more than 11e 000 people h been so sick, they've been hospitalized. sadly, 19 american children have died from the flu so far. s despite thew start to the season, the flu is widespread in 30 states, anditsual late january or february. we expect to see more cases developing over the next few weeks. reaction nowrom nbc news medical correspondent dr. john storres. >> fson has actually not peaked yet. this is a slow starting season. it is goi to be over the next few weeks and maybe month, month and a half, that we keep having more and me flu.

plus, what we know is, even when this flu starts calming down a little bit, come march timeframe, it'll pick up again. we have this distribution where they have two peaks nearing the flu seasd. the secne is yet to come. people still need their vaccines. reporter: he's right. if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet, what are you waiting for? it's not too late. experts say the flu shot this year is a good match for this year's virus. even though thesn vaccine 100% effective, it can certainly lessen the severity of symptoms if you do get the flu, and it could keep you out of the hospital. that is worth doing. >> agreed. good advice from doreen. you're taking a live look at the washington monument. temperatures are plummeting, folks. our girl, lauryn ricketts, is going to be back to break it down for us. would you risk buying illegal drugs to get aad at work? they say it's not about getting high butetting productive. hear from a dealer and a user

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this story is quite inweresting. so b family, work, and personal commitments, giving 100% in every par of your life can feel impossible. people areason some drawn to a new drug trend. users say it doesn't make y high, it makes you a better version of yourself. sarah walla explores microdosing, the damage and why

doctors are studying it. >> i wanted to do so many things. i wanted to go so many aces. started painting, startingin drawg. it made me want to be the mostt produc version of myself. >> reporter: this man is describing a transformative perience. he asked us to conceal his identity because that so-called epiphany is illegal. >> i microdose. i am a drug dealer, yeah. >> i t basicallye mushrooms, psychedelic type, and make them into what we like to call microdoses. >> reporter: this drug dealer says a growing group of people are turning to street drugs, bt they areooking for a high. >> you'd be surprised by the vast array of people in the tech industry, medical in mstries, yoe it, using microdosing to better themselves and better their careers. >> reporter: this client is a 9:00 to p5:00fessional with a well-paid job in finance. he's struggled with depression and anxiety. he says taking these minuscule doses of psychedelic mushrooms

help him cope and give him a lasered edge. >> pieces of the puzzles of the things i need to figure o connect a lot quicker, if that makes sense. my just overall demeanor and personali personality, people told me it dramatically improved. >> reporter: the last three years, searchings ofmi odoses tripled. this drug dealer says his business is >> it's been a constant upward trend. people don't necessarily take it to get high. they take it to getef ctive. >> reporter: and those who take it? >> there is s te peoplet i deliver to that are in the music industry. doctors. people in the finance industry. there's some students. people who want to be like that movie "limitless." >> reporter: microdosing is taking an imperceptiblemoun temperatures. rain continues overnight. heavy at times, 1 to 2 inches. gone by noon tomorrow. temperatures plummet torrow. wind chills tomorrow afternoon, the teens. monday, wind chills in the single digits. >>oh, my gosh. dangerous. >> dangerously cold.

absolutely. >> bundle up. thank you so much for joining us. we'll be back tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. have a great surday. .

announcer: when you see this symbol you know you're watching television that's educational and informational . the more you know on n lauren: i' lauren thompson. get out your driver, because the champion within starts right now.g today, peter knnects with one of the newest

stars in the nfl, saquon barkley. saquon: my father gave me some of the best advice. once you quit in one thing, you're a quitter for the rest of your life. that's when my life just kind of anged r me. lauren: then we hit the links with golfer mel reid, whose career is back on track after a family tragedy. mel: losing my mom has madee more aware of what's important in life, hundred percent, one hundred percent. i think shf d just be more proud oo i am. lauren: and we head to the ice, where the brandt sisrs face off for differe countries. hannah: watching her over the past couple years do