new at midday, president trump into a new interview with former fbi director andrew mccabe. using words like illegal and treasonist. two people died in an accident that took down this utility pole. this morning, police need yr he identifying the men. and we've got some nice conditionsinally out there. but as you may have hea snow's on the way. we have the latest details on the wednesday forecast coming up. good morning, everyone. lcome to "news 4 midday."

>> you heard lauren say it there. a messy week ahead. we want to begin with the weather and the threat of the midweek snow today. looking outside live, conditions improving for presidents' day. we started with rain and things starting the dryut a bit. >> that's good. the chance of rain returns later this week wit the four-letter word snow. let's get caught upn it with meteorologist lauryn ricketts. what can we veexpect? you een all over this. >> i have been. looking at everything i can early this mony morning. listen. for your presidents' day, looking good. the winds picking up a little tot. that's the main out there today but the rain is gone. starting to see clearing skies. turning into a beautiful monday out there. so any of the rain we hadye erday, long gone. moved out early this morning and then again clearing from theo west the east. looking good as we head this day and pretty quiet tomorrow and temperatures today into the mid to upper 40s and warming up quite a bit. but right now around 50 degrees

today. it is wind moreunshine later on this afternoon through tonight. but as we getdn into day, oh yeah, winter storm watch. pretty much for y.everyb i'm sorry for friends in southern maryland that are snow lovers but beginning 10:00 p.m. on tuesday we will have the latest onithat we expect the storm. new detailse just cam in and share them with you in about 15 minutes. >> thank you for staying on top of it. protesters are gathering outside the white house. they're protesting president trump's national emergency declaration to fund a border wall. the demonstrations begins in about an an hour at noon. congress is weighing in on president trump declaring a national emergency. >> news 4's tracie potts has more on the reaction and what to expect if the decisionands in court. >> reporter: three days after president trump declared a cy national emergo build a

border wall with mexico, lawmakers are debating whether there's really an emergency. >> he couldn't get the mexicans ld the wall. he couldn't get congress to vote the money in. >> he himself said it. he didn't need to announce or declare a crisis. >> this is an emergency. what are we now on? the fifth caravan? >> reporter: critics call it a power grab that upsets checks and balances in government. >> we shouldn't have an executive, i don't care republican or democrat, to get around congress. >> this is another expansion of that why you see an awful lot of us concerned. >> reporter: he is a republican and so isra lindseym and supporting the president. >> congress cked down and will not give him what we havepa giv presidents. >> reporter: the white house won't say if president trump will veto a measure against the veto. >> he'll protect the guarantee. >> reporter: next stop could be the u.s. supreme court. he's daring the court to strike this down. >> reporter: declaring an

emergency is one thing, roghtvi p states so far are preparing lawsuits against this declaration. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. president trump's troubles ro not end with the fight o his national emergency declaration. last night the former acting fbi director andrew mccabe offered a blistering critique of president trump and minutes" explaining the approach to the obstruction of investigation and counter intelligence investigations into the president, happening shortly after the president f former director james comey. mccabe said he knew the time in the fib was coming an end and did nnow that he would be fired a little more than a day before he could collect his pensn. >> i guess i should have because the president spoke about it publicly. he made it quite clear that he wanted me gone before cld retire. i believe i was fired because i

opened a case against the president of the united states. >> he spoke about the details surrounding possibly removing president trump under the 25th amendment. mccabe say it is deputy attorney general rod rosenstein brought it up in aonversation and never invoked. this morning the president reacted in several tweets including wow, he was fired for lying. president trump's pick to be the nextam u.sssador to the united nations has withdrawn from consideraon. heather nauret said the process is grueling oner family. nbc news reports she failed to pay taxes on a foreign born nanny. sh paid the tax late and did not disclose it when she joined the administration. switching gears, fairfax county police need hp identifying two people killed in a crash this weekend near dulles

>>is really troubling. hiairport. the car goes off the road, hit e burst into flames. justin flinch is live this midday in fairfax county with re on this. hey, justin. >> reporter: david, this time police don't know about this crash or those two people who were found dead. they'reha hoping between the vehicle and some distinctive details they'll learn more this wreck and also those two men who were found inside dead. just what happened here off routear8 saturday morning? a question fairfax county police continue to investigation gait. right off the roadway near the mclearan road exit, two men were found dead inside a newer model gray in color honda crv suv just a.m. saturday. a bouquet of flowers in tribute. it lost control, went up the

embankment and strike that light pole and pole crashing down, it caused a fire. those two victims trapped inside that vehicle. those two men believed to be younger than 25 years old. but who are they? that's where fairfax county police are hoping thec pub can help. investigators released this image of a gold chain found on one of those victims. they're asking the public to pay cloe attention that clasp, a clue that could help identify that victim. and what's made all of this so complicated i those two people, those two men found in that vehicle were badly burned. that's why they're hoping that chain and that cla will sta out in someone's mind. that chain did belong to the driver of that honda crv and learned that driver has a pretty distinctive tattoo of a large eagle holding a trophy in the talons. between that tattoo, thatai that vehicle make and model

they're hoping someone will identify the driver and the passenger insid live here at fairfax county, justin finch, news 4. >> hoping they g an i.d. soon, thank you so much, justin. now to a story you saw fst on this morning. we hear from the maryland wife who lost her hisn a devastating crash over the weekend. 33-year-old raymond mccarter jr. was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver. the suspect was going the wrong way on route 32 near fort meade saturday morning and slammed into mccarter head on. his wife nat sie said spoke to him right before the crash. he was on the way home. theyere college sweethearts who had been married for 11 years and share two children, 7 and 9. >> he was a hard worker. he was a family man. he was somebody that youanted to be around. his spirit was infectious and people loved him. >> mccarr's family and friends are now raising money to cover costs of his funeral.

and to support the family. we have a link in our nbc washington app. heads upet for riders today. the system is operating on a holiday schedule for presidents' day. metro rail and bus are operating until 11:30 tonight. rail on a saturday schedule and bus on a saturday and supplemental schedule. watch out for track work. that could mess withour trip. metro's charging off peak fare. comin up on ten minutes after the hour. we have new information on an attack inside a middle school in montgomery county. plus also ahead, new investigation has people questioning jussie smollett and the hate crime he reported. we will have the actor's yacti for

a major twist in the alleged hate crime against "essire" star smollett. over the weekend, chicago police

confirmed the investigation has shifted focus. but didn't explain exactly what that means. police department source close to the probe tells nbc news police are investigating whether it was all a hoax. we're told police are investigating whether the actor paid two men to aack him. this development comes after two brothers were questioned and then released. police searched the brothers' home and found a bla ski mask, bleach and a "empire" script and police say a man worked as an extra on the show. another one smollett's personal trainer. smollett's attorneys deny the iccusation he played any part in this. o police say they need to speak with smollett again. right now,he aurora, illinois, community is searching for answers after a deadly workplace shooting. happened on friday. the suspected shooter who was killed by police was terminated from work before opening fire, killing five and hurting six

others. >> reporter: overnight aurora's broken hearted community coming together. >> united. that's how we feel. >> reporter: honoring the heroes and victims from a warehouse individual toil thede police partment, markers of respect for lives lo, prayers for comfort and healing, a search for understanding. >> their lives were snuffed out way too short and senseless killings. >> reporter: among those killed, 21-year-old college student tror wehner and vincente juar, clayton parks, wife calling him an incredible father. russell beyer, two children, a gentle giant. josh pinkard, father of three. hi wife saying i received a i'v saying i love you, been shot at work. >> in that moment, when he was going through what he went ho through, heht of me. an he wanted me to know that he love. >> reporter: company officials

say gary martin was being terminated the gun was supposed to be surrendered in 2014 once the state discovered he was a convicted felon. that gun was not surrendered. nbc news, ro, illinois. this midday, we are getting more information on a weekend shooting. made a lot of folks twank there an active shooter. looking e police are for 17-year-old jamari hammond telling us he shot aan ane of the entrances of the mall saturday night after a figno withther person and unclear what this fight was over. investigators say the pair did not know each other. >> this was a targeted incideot. it was a sg at the mall, not a mall shooting. >> and the goods here, the expected to be okay. there are new questions over the fund of the viblgs of the september 11th terrorck at there is concern that there's

not enough money to compensate all those whore apply and approved for its benefits. nbc's chy park explains why the fund is running out of money. >> reporter: new fears for 9/11 survivors who were counting on a federal victims fund to mpensate them. >> and the government has promised that they would be there for you and they're not. >> reporter: the fund pays victims who were sick or dying from toxic exposure after the attacks. just $2 billion remain and now with reportedly 19,000 unpaid claims,me future paynts will be up to 70% less than what they paid elier. a program official told "the washington post" this is a fairest way we could come up with. former federal investigator terrance was diagnosed with 9/11 related leukemia 14 years after the attack. >> i can't work. t d that's why the pension t i'm getting is not enough for me

to survive on. >> reporter: lawmakers are fixng a political push to the problem. >> we need to fully fund the ctims' compensation fund for the life of our first responders and our communi members. >> reporter: it will take at least $5 billion and congressnal action to make sure these september 11th victims are never forgotten. cathy park,bcews, new york. new this morning, we are learning a student was attacked at a montgomery county middle school last week inside the boy's locker room at ridgeview middle school. four students ages 12 and face assault charges for the incident which left the victim hurt. a forme virginia high school transgender student who may have won a fight over a school district's bathroom policy, gavingrimm sued the gloucester county school board in5. 2 the district banned him from using the boy's restroom. la week grimm expanded his

case. a federal judge ruled he could sue over the refusal to change the gender lted on his high scipol transcrt and still lists him as female. the board will hold a publicor meeting tw to discuss allowing transgender students to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. now to a news 4 i-team invest, some local drivers it appears grabbing more than a cub of coffee. police say they're seeing drivers impaired by marijuana and as scott mcfar land reports, roat has ters on high alert for those using weed behind the wheel. >> reporter: it's difficult to say if more people are smoking marijuana in our area but police toll tell you it's clear more people are tryinrive after doing so. before going head to head with the stress of d.c. rush hour, this driver who asked us to call him andrew said he lik toake the edge off. >> i do suffer from panic

attacks so if i can feel a panic attack coming on, sometimes i'll take a hit. >> reporter: a hit of marijuana. often from his vaping device. virgia and d.c. police don't currently keep data for drivers impaired from pot. >> we have marijuana feel like on a daily basi >> reporter: maryland state police do. approximately 40% jump in the number of traffic violations. >> dui 7. >> reporter: as more states move toon decriminalizaf marijuana, police say they're training nor troopers and ficers how to respond. ts part of the full investigation, w police look for to see if someone is driving impaired by marijuana and why drivers say they do so anyhow. for now, scott mcfarlane, news 4 i-team. how about fun news this morning? >> let's do it.

>> al soc worker who was furloughed in the government shutdown givenprhe se of her life courtesy of ellen. >> yes. >> yes. are you a fan of the "ellen" show? >> yes! >>alou'reng to ellen. hi. >> i love these things. priceless.n was when ellen picked up the phone and called her. check out what happened when the show sent formerro football player john doranbos to her house. malaysia could not hide the excitement and the eent growing as playing a round of dollars from doraos. >>malaysia, you served in the air force. >> yes. >> if you were to land a pinne uala lumpur, what country would you be in? >> malaysia! >> she is a social wker who helps veterans and active duty members. she still went to work without pay so, you know, this is the -- these are the people we want to

celebrate and she won $20,000 thanks to ellen. watch "ellen" here at 4:00 and then news 4 at 4:00. see the whole thing. >> people don't get that excited wh we knock on their door. >> not at all. >> not usually giving away that much. >> i'm excited the see you most of the time. >> that's one person. all right. 11:20 now this midday. winter storm watch, yeah, lauren going to have the latest on the timing of a storm to bring us a measurable amount of snow, too. >> that's what the school kids are doing ont wednesday w malaysia did. we are on eagle watch yet again this tim for t reasons. one, we could have new eaglets next month and the daddy is

there is a new effort under way to honor george h.w. bush

and his wife barbara. a ilproposed would authorize the treasury to mint $1 coins in memory of the late former first couple. >>by so this is sponsorehe senators of texas and maine where they split their time. susan collins said it would pay tribute to their legacy. >> both george and barbara bush passed away lastr. y the measure would have the gold dollar coins issued for a year. all. rig 11:23. some real life bird drama. this is playing out in aald eagle's nest near the d.c. police academy. >> who knew? it would unfold. >> a disaster. >> liberty laid her secon egg of the year this weekend. but the bigger story here, her long-tim partner justice, nowhere to be found. these are live pictures of her nest. >> where is she? e> look. okay. pair of -- >> it's a holiday. where you at? >> they have bee last 15 years.

eagles typically mate for lifea justice left the nest and two different male eagles have been hanging around, coming after her. the managing director of the earth conservation corps believes justice was challenged by one of the new males, wasn't prepared to challenge the younger bird. wasn't prepared the go back at him. justice and liberty successfully raised many eaglets over the years the eggs should hatch in a little over a month. so, i mean -- >> she is busy. >> let's hold off. i feel like we put a lot of judgment on that. we don't know what's going on. whole k we know the story. we don't know. >> but it sounds like he didn't man up. i mean -- that's what i'msh -- s got the move on. she's got babies to raise. >> invesgative team on this. >> the i-team is looking into this already. we'll figure out what t drama is. >> meantime -- >> they will have to get out of

the nest by wednesday. ri right? >> maybe getting food like everybody else at the grocery store. we have a storm coming our way. it's been pretty consistent since last week that we areo goingee some snow on wednesday. eventually changing the mix and so out the information. talk about today. it's beautiful. here.e the rain out of the winds are picking up and you can see the rain down to the south and east of us andhat's pretty much where it stays. skies are clearing right now. 'll go partly sunny as we go into the afternoon. current tempatures, topping t around 50 degrees and warmer side today and blustery with the winds. winds are gusting up to about 40 miles per hour at least potential to gust up to 40 miles per hour. winds will be the main story out there today. they'll settle down later on tonight. 50egrees for a daytime high. mild and windy and pary sunny for today. low 40s. lighter winds, dry increasing

clouds. tomorrowill be dry. tomorrow night on the other hand, late tomorrow night likelg after mi, that's when we start to see some changes in the weather iforecast. th the winter storm watch. i'm sorry for your snows lov in southern maryland. you are not in the watch. this begins 10:00 p.m. tuesday and goes until 10:00 p.m. on wednesday. tuesday at 4:00, we are just looking at some cloud cover across the area and then getting into wednesday, now, this has slowed down a little bit. i was saying before daybreak likely we would have snow but now latest updates has it moving in a touch later. that's something to watch the timing on this. but as it comes through, all through the lunch hour warm air starts to fill in the upper levels of the scenario a that warm air moves in from the south to the north and changes this t ov a mix. and then that warm air starts to win out andll event that mix

will change over to rain and then we're going to be dealing th rain into the wednesday night. we'll have rain through the day on thursday tapering off thursday after lon. thursday of this snow will melt because temperatures in the 50s and now worry about the flooding but the chance of t an inches of snow is likely in the area and more information wh doug coming up later on tonight. the questions for wednesday, how long does the cold air stick around? how long will the snow stick when do we see the change to the mix? that's another question we have. because then we have ice accumulation on tod of the snow en when do we see this change to rain? this determines the totals for snow and icewe l talk more about this coming up in about 15 minutes. guys?ha >> you so much. coming up in the next half hour, two stories capturiat intenal attention. first a british teenager joins isis a wants to come home. the concerns being voiced about

her future. plus we look ahead to the vatican's hearing on sex ase in the church and the

11:30 is your time now to the latest on the major ne from the vatican. former cardinal and archbishop of washington mccarri expelled. >> vatican found allegations credible. in response, they're meeting is week for anunpress departmented summit focused on preventing clergy sex abuse and going into the cover-up questions. chicago cardinal blaze supich said he hopes it's seen as a turning point. would be that peopl

see this as a turning point. it's not an end game. no one can ever say there's never going to be abuse that w happens in thld or in the church. but we're going to do everythino possible make sure people are held responsible, accountable tdnsparency because those three elements will keep children safe. >> mccarrick was among the most powerful andti influen man in the catholic church. during his time, this was a guy to pick up the phone and chat with the president. here's a local expert in th church reacting to the vatican ruling. >> mccrick committed crimes and the church acted perhaps not as quickly as some would like but in church time very quickly i think to to reach a good judgment about the crimes that mccarrick had committed. >> mccarrick now 88 is the highest ranking church leader and the first cardinal to be dismissed from the priesthood. >> david, you have been all over this story since it broke.

doing syneic coverage. here's the question that i want to know and i'm sure other people. what about the possibility of criminal charges? >> that is a question. a lot of people have been putting that forth on social media, too. it comes down to statu of limitations and the question if those are still in place. i was speaking with o of the attorneys for two of the victims and he tells me that he knows that they have met already with a manhattan district attorney as well as thera attorney ge in new jersey. both of those agencies are invepoigating that ibility. this could go to the federal level if they can prove that the abuse happened across state nes as one of the victims who we have shared his story alleges happened. >> you wonder with mccarrick, are there more to follow? because, i mean, this doesn't stop here. >> it does n sp here. even outside of criminal charges, there's the route of civil charges s these victims are considering suing not only mccarrick, butalso, the church.

>> all right. we'll stay on top of it. thank you so much. we'll be following the summit that we have been talking about coming up -- week. ng on all >> yeah. check out our nbc washington app for updates there, as well. moving on to other news of the day, a british teen just 15 when she ran away with two classmates four years ago. the girls were making their way to syria to become isis brides. >> here's the thing. one of them surfaced in a refugee camp in syria, just given birth and wants to go home 'sd expressing no remorse. as n sarah harmon reports, the story ignited debate within europe. >> reporter: the woman was a london teenagerust 15 years old when she and two friends traveled to syria to join isis. now, she's 19 and living in a refugee camp. birthhe weekend, she gave to a baby boy and she wantso come home to britain. but she is also unrepentant

about joining group. >> i had my kids. i did have a good time there. butarhings wereand i could n't take anymore. i think a lot of people should have, like,th sym towards me for everything i've been through. >> reporter: people present a huge challenge for europe. it is thought hundreds of european citizens joined isis and many of them have hadch dren while they were there. now, that the caliphate is crumbling, there's a massive debate of when's responsible for these people and their children. president trump wants europe to step up. in a series of tweets, he pushed europe to take back over 800 isis fighters and putt them on ial. the president added that the u.s. does not want to watch these isis fighters permeatero . but that's obviously controversial. not everyone in the ukants to see someone like this woman welcomed home. sarah harman, nbc news, london. developing this morning in

baltimore, autrities are investigating a mysterious death outse bank stadium where the ravens play. police say a man ran out of a portable bathroom on fire and it happened yesterday afternoon:0 around 3 on russell street. investigators say a security guard saw the victim on fire, running through thearking lot. the man later collapsed and died. fire s officia they're not sure what the man was doing inside that portable bathroom just before the flas erupted. we're working for your health this midday. doctors say this year's flu season is peaking all across the country. there are several things you can do to avoi the virus. here's nbc chris clackum. >> reporter: this nasty flu season gotten nastier. 47 states report one strain oro r of the virus. >> the virus will be with us throughout the country well into march and perha into april. >> reporter: that's why the cdc and doctors everywhere are still

encouragg anyone six months and older to be vaccinated, the keep your distance from those you suspect have it, and consider giving your household a good scrubbing. >> viruses can get on surfaces and depending upon the nature of the surface, they can last for about 15 minutes, sometimes some viruses 24 hours. >> reporter: that's especially a concern if child's running around the house. >> i have been known to chaser round the house carrying my wipes. >> reporter: like elizabeth, mom ayear-old and owner operator of a two maids and a mop cleaning franchise. >> some of the simplest things you can do are keeping anti-bacterial and virus wipes all over your orhouse. >> rr: and like she instructs her cleaning crews, use those wipes at least twice a day on what everybody's touching like the tv remote and until the flu season has passed use paper

instead of cloth towels. >> one of the most susceptible places to germs in the house are the hand towels in the throom. >> reporter: another step to stay free of the flu. chris clackum, nbc news. oh yes. we are so excited. okay. it is presidents' day. yes. national spring training camp kicks into full gear ts week in florida. uh-huh. so why not have a racing president o u two join here in the studio? we have got abe andeddy with us! are you guysxc eited about baseball? you look the part forlorida. oh! i love it. okay. okay. so again, we've got abe. we've got teddy. they're all dressed and ready. pitchers and catchers reported last week but today the whole gang will be back together. ri gt? isn't thad? oh my goodness. and warm weath. this means it's on the way.nd anthonyrey turner arrived early taking that battingpr

tice in west palm beach. a full team practice tomorrow and games start this weekend. remember, opening day just 39 days away, guys. that's march 28 before we let you go, a big question for you. you ready? okay. are the nationals go ipg to go all the way to the world series? okay. okay. and who's going to w m thet race -- oh, oh, oh. i could n't get the question t. okay. all right. abe, teddy, we are going to work this out. thank you foroming in. give me a high five. high five. great conversation. i love the way you talk on and on and on. okay? yeah. let's keep it going. david? >> i feel like youarried that conversation there. but you look like pocket size compared to them. >> that's what i like st. >> all right. ank you. mr. president, mr. president, thank you. hey, before we get to spring, though, we are in the midst of winter. we have to talk about that.

lauryn ricketts getting us ready for the chance of midweek snow and a chance to save little money. we like this. the holiday sales you do not want to miss.

those racing presidents took the wind out of me. >> so much energy that they bring in. >> oh my goodness. but it made me feel like springtime is on t way. >> only in your mind. >> only in your mind. winter's sckll sg around, yes. >> what is this going to be like? >> it's going to be snowy. >> pretty messy? >> i do think that we will have some cancelaons and i do believe we will have some delays. the thing about this storm, it'c pretty stayed consistent. a lot of the models are -- all of the models are advertising it. they had been sce last week. so the trend is our friend and en generallyetting models like this that continue to advertise a storm coming into the area we start obviously to

pitake notice and it is s. this storm is evolving right now so precipnd types totals will change as we get into your wednesday. it hasn't even formed yet. this storm is o coming of the gulf of mexico and up through vohioley. continuing to keep an eye on it. i want to talk about todayai because the story, the rain is gone. talking abo talking about winds gusting to 40 miles per hour toery. current teures top out around 50 degrees an right now the 30s and 40s. a little chilly, blustery out there and continues to be like that throughout the day. a mix of sun and clouds and quiet. winds coming down tonight. temperatures plummet tonight into the 20s and rain's out and getting sunshine out there. staying dry for the remainder of the day. traveling, y are looking good across the mid atlantic. cooler tomorrow. partly sunny. tuesday, 10:00 p.m., continues

into wednesday. what we are looking at, questions for wednesday. seeing aumulating snow? yes. accumulating ice? yes. cancelations? yes. i believe most schools on wednesday could be closed and may have closures and delays for thursday and thursdayth warmer ain and turning to rain through the day on wednesday. so let me talk about this because 4:00 on tuesday we are dry. no early dismissals on tuesday. we're fine. the rain line moving in later. watching this snow first half of wednesday and then we'll see this change over to a mix as warm air mixes in. we will see eventually that warm air win out and change to rain. rain continues through theyay on thursnd tapering off thursday afternoon. we'll talk more in a little bit. >> allight. we'll check in with you then. a heartwarming surprise. coming up, new mother to twins gets the shock that she was

hoping for. and it is something many of us need to do. but continue to put it off.ut clearing o the clutter. we are working with you for help. whether it's a big job or a small one. small one. david, this isn't it hasn't always been easy, has it? ♪ there have been days when you doubted yourself. ♪ and days when you were ready to quit. ♪ but you didn't. ♪ because you had the courage to venture into something powerful. education. if i leave you with just three words of advice: never...stop...growing. [cheering]

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>> okay. >> back now with a viral videoa you'll to share today. this is staff sergeant skylar cooper surprising his wife and meeting his twin daughters for the first time. his wife wentnto premature labor after coming down with the flu and had to have an emergency c-section. sergeant cooper wasn't expected to be able to come hom and meet his little babies until the spring but pulle o this surprise. oh my goodness. >> good for them. >> go to work helping with the babi >> a busy one. stay here for a while.

u how many times have thought about cleaning out your closets and putt it off becau you didn't know how to start? we are checking out a new tidying trend. >> i need help. call conmari mhod. it's inspired by a netflix series and helped thousands of people who were once in my shoes get organized. >> so the key is only keeping items that spa joy in your life. we're putting it to the test at home and work to show you howo help you clean the clutter from your life. >> start from up there. and hand you the clothes. w coffee mugs. >>e will go through all of >> where to begin? it can be the seariest part of the process especially finding a way to be organized that sticks. that's what kay found struggling to keep it altogether.

now she is a certified consultant trained. >> as a single mother of two,th full-time job, i always had struggle staying organized. >> it breaks down the daunting task of total organization into more manageable projects. first, separate your items into categories. clothing, boo, papers, miscellaneous such as kitchenware and other ite and then sentimental items. >> by the te you get to the sentimental ims you have sharpened your joy checking skills. >> reporter: next, you will have to make a mess first in order to declutter. >> you need to bring a the items of that particular category in one place. that gives you a o visual sen volume. it is easier forou to decide which sparked joy. >> i feel joyis with >> reporter: that's the method, hold each item and ask yourself

whether it sparks joy. >> the process doesn't focus on getting rid of things but keeping things that sparks joy. >> thank you for the maybe two timei wore it. >> reporter: once you complete a category, find a homeor each item you own. finishing the process will not only desclur your space but your mind. >> working in a tidy space is very efficient as i said. you don't look for things. you really save time. it's very peaceful. and also, reduces stress. >> i admit i need some help. i fd joy in everything. >> no, i mean -- >> all my clutter. >> that part two to pile them, it's good. i need to dust this and then 400 other >> yeah. >> still piled up. >> it is a lot. that's why we need the exrts. art the method at home or on your own but ifeeou the boost to get started, kay is one

of about 200 certified consultants in the world to help you. find out about her and the process in the nbc washington app. >> like a personal trainer. tonight, consumer reporter susan hogan to clear the clutter in the kitchen. check this out. a professional organizer recently helped sus oanize her pantry. she'll share the easy steps you can follow to get yourself organized and save on your grocery bill by not buying things you already have. speaking of buying, attention all shoppers, it is presidents' day, the last day ol the ann holiday sale all weekend. winter apparel, home goods an ectronics are some of the biggest discount items of the year.ay experts s home decor and mattressesge see the b markdown. >> we are seeing huge savings in furniturend decor. highlights, coddle is 30% off site wide from now until midnight tomorrow. chairs, ottons mattresses.

at houzz.com, up to 80% off ec select for the bedroom, living room. even your family room. >> experts say you can also get as much as 30% off electronics including tvs. >> okay. more sales to talk about. the sales only going to be getting bigger at payless shoe urce stores. liquidation sales began yesterday at all 2,100 of the stores across the u.s. and the best sales still toome. stores will be open through at least thee end of march and most until may and prices continue to drop as the weeks pass. you'll have to head to a story to take advantage of the sales. online sales no longer offered there. go get some new shoes. >> in persee. >> i have your shoes. >> they're nice. need some polish. after the break, we are heading inside the big top. >> the big apple circus is in town. we'll tell you about the special

shows fospecial children.r

america's got talent going to crown the winner of the champions edition tonight. judge simon cowell says even he's kept in the dark about the winner. >> it's gone so quick. >> i know. >> i mean, really, really quick. this show didn't exist a year ago and put together really quickly. better than i thought. i have no idea when's goi to win tonight.

i just hold a con tertestant i n know. you can watch tonight right here on nbc 4 at 8:00. so the circus may bring happy memories from childhood and parents want to pass them on to their kids. >> a circus in town aims to make the fun for inclusive for children with special needs and i had a chance to spend time this morning out at the big s apple cir at national harbor. rescue animals are a huge part of the big apple circus as well as physical comedians and so much more. and w want to talk about the special performances but before we do that how does virginia tools do what she does? lifting her husband. he's 150 pounds and virginia who's here with me, how much do you weigh? >> around 105. >> you had a baby a year ago and able to lift your husband and

everything else and how are you doing all of this? l >> juste every woman out there, i work hard. we practice a lot. i just have good focus and whatever i have to do and i do it. >> part of dual fusion at the big apple circus. stephanie is the ring master, get theetp. stephanie, the special performances that are coming up for those with special needs are really important to theus circ. >> we love offering the senses so that everyone can feel included, everyone can have access to the wonders that are here in the ring. >> those performances coming up in february and march. check it out. the big apple circus here at the national harbor. >> she can lift h own husband? >> she can. >> he's strong, too. >> yeah, yeow. you what? i wanted to focus on those special performances like we did this morning becaure that's ly making it special. >> and more inclusive. >> for everybody. >> really cool all right. let's get you a check of the forecast. a good day to be under some

cover whether it's a circus tent or otherwise especially latter in the week. absolutely. the only thing to deal with today, david, the winds. gusts up to 40. dying down later on tonight. we are weather alert for wednesday. noain, this is going to start on tuesday night and stick around as snow after midnight and wednesday morning all snow and transition to a mix and then rain and we will have snow accumulations in the area on tuesday. all rain on thursday and could haveomeflooding. >> all right. thanks. that is the big story continuing the wee that does it for "news 4 midday." thank you for jgning us. >> you can get news

we're live in e,ve, four, threwo, one. >> and golden globe goes to "bohemian rhapsody." >> the winner is green books. >> green books. >> "black f panther." >> sew -- >> nicole and jeff for "can you ever forgive me." >> this is so exciting. we're just dayy a from the academy awards. it's the most wide open oscar ofield inar history. happy presidents day and welcome to "access live." i can't remember -- this was a presue -- this was all thear shows leading up to sunday. it shows you how d