nationals will walk on the ball field and take on the new york mets. jim handly is helping us covering the opening day. it's an exciting time, jim. >> we cannot wait, you two. i decided to stand because it is still chilly down here. we're aut six hours away until that first pitch. we are working 4 you, getting you ready for everything you need to know. we're going to talk about changes insecurity. new food down here. and we're going to catch up with the racing psidents, coming . >> i was wondering why youdn have a coat on. you wantedto look goo in your red. but you're faking it. >> i de.'t have >> we have to check up on that all-important forecast on this opening day. and the commute. we're going to start off with chuck bell. >> good morning, molette. it's getting to be cherry bla

blossom time bhere. we wil peaking sunday or monday next week. four things to know, play ball. perfect baseball weather for today. we should go into the 70s for highs tomorrow. 70, nice and warm. chilly and wet for your sunday. right now, though, your thursday morning's off to a dry start. it's seasonably chilly. 33 in quantico. 28 in prince george's county. and 36 in the city yo wake-up temperatures, plan for temperatures to inch their way out of the 30s. 40 degrees by 9:00. and your baseball forecast, they open up the11 gates a0 a.m. temperatures in the low 50s then and in the low tomid-60s playing the game all the way to victory. let's go toelissa mollet now and check on traffic. southbound at 197, not sure why this truck is pulled the right side. but there's lots of potholes

causing problems. for washington, new problem, northbound 210 after swan creek. another crash after you get through a crash. eastbound southwest freeway at theee 3rd s tunnel. and suitland parkway before sterling, an accident there. back to the excitement of openin day. 6:02. a new season of baseball begins today. and this year, the nationals get o start the season right here at home. >> we're about seven hours away. first pitch down n ationals park. and there's so much excitement this morning. even news 4's jim handly. we got him out of bed and at the ballpark early this morning. >> you know, tamara told me lasy night, s out of the shade. that's all there is right now. they are trying to light it up. they have heat lamps for us. we're here at the first base

dugout. that's positioned.am is we have quite a team. we are looking forward to a winning team this afternoon. in just hours, we're going to throw out the first pitch against the mets. if you pn to be at any of the games, take metro first and pack lightly. there's security change s. backpacks won't be allowed in the park. you can bng purses and smaller bags. we have all of the information on our washington nbc app. if you don't have time to drop things out, there will be lockers to store things outside of the park. you have to pay for the lockers but you can watch the game. now, to the fun. for a lot of people the actio is all about the food. this year, you can skip the oune

as you get food. you can order your foods right at your seat. the goal of the app is t making hat the fans have as much time to watch the game as they in the not have to wait long lines. among the options you'll have this season, korean chicken wing b they were ones we saw. cory smith devouring some o those. empanadas, tacos in a bowl and pastrami dogs and the classics are back to this year, the nationals expect to make 0,000 hot dogs. use 45,000 pounds of barbecue meet. my favorite. top it all with 5,700 gallons. somebody did drop off doughnuts. six different varieties, guys. by 7:00, i will be in my sugar coma and crashing. can't wait to dig in. >> it's baseball day.

you know you will have a tum ache. >> you have to pile it on, right? >> yeah. just do it. >> get back to normal tomorrow. >> i wanthe box half-gone the next time we see you. >> all right. love a challenge, molette. >> thank you, jim. >> all righty. > social media is already blowing up with excitement about the start of the n season. if you're cheering on the nats today, tag nbc washington in your post. you'll see them on tv as we get through the opening of baseball seasons relief finally on the way for drivers who use the b.w. parkway. ou've been on that road lately, you had to dodge theiv masse potholes, too. it feelse l a dirt road. >> that's crazy. >> we have our justin finch out there, with more on the emergency repair operationpphat will be ing over the weekend. >> reporter: hey. if you've been on the parkway,

you have to buckle up to stay in your seat. relief will be coming here at last, after months of buffers like this. kris and complaints from drivers. the national park service, n announcing emergency repairs are being fast tracked for the b. parkway here. all this begins to happee over thee wkend w here. l use a new asphalt mix to plug the potholesre ahead of phase two. starting at 7:30, to saturday at 5:00 a.m., youill see closure on the southbound side of the parkway, from maryland 198, to maryland 197. then, saturday a 7:30 p.m. to 00 a.m., youill see the northbound side close, from maryland 197 toaryland 175. >> we want to improve the safety of the roadway. we take ownership that this is

our issue to solve. we're putting the resources against, you know, the parkway, so that we can have long-term repairsesn pro as soon as possible. >> reporter: so, as you heard, the goal here, long-term repairs in the near future. this, so far, is a two-phased project. potholes being hug plplugged ov weekend. phase two is the repaving over e b.w. parkway. to give you a sense of how much work has already been done the national park service saying, since january of this year, not long ago, they have used more than 130 tons of asphalt to plug these massive holes out here along the parkway. >> justin, thank you. today, af group high school students in bethesda will be opening up for the first time about being targets of public judgments by their classmates.

the list of 18 girls was spread all over social media. and they tell morgan radfoti, it was the te betrayal. >> i didn't want to see the list. i didn't want to believe i was included on the st. as the day progressed, it became the talk of the school. i knew i had to see it to have the correct view in this situation. t after seei list, nothing was the same. >> catch the interview at 7:00. hear how the girls say they were inspired by the #metoo movement and else they're doing to speak outbout sexism in high schools. a dirt bike rider is recovering after being shot in broad daylight. this happened along good hope road in southeast washington yesterday. d.c. police sources say a 34-year-old man was riding a

hort bike when someone in a dork dark colored car st him. one neighbor who heard the e, gunfs shocked this happened. >> see how nervous i am? i had to come out here. i can't believe this is happening in the daytime in washinon, d.c. >> we're waiting to get an update on the victim's condition. today, we expect to learn the fate of a man wurred a teenager on her way to a mosque. he attacked ssanen when she was walking to a mosque with friend nabra's loved ones believe she was targeted because of her muslim faith. torres faces life in prison. a self-declared neo-nazi who killed a woman in

charlottesville pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes. that plespared james fields from the death penalty. he was convicted on state gerder charfor plowing into a group of protesters in 2017. that killed heather heyer. fields faces a recommended life sentence for that conviction. this morning, we are learning details about another case receiving national attention. this one iolving jussie smollett. >> police have a new report but it may raise more questions than it answers. megan mcgrath is in the newsroom with details for us. megan? >> reporter: c acago journalist filed a freedom for information act. what was given out was the police report. in it, detectives who worked the case found the connection between the others and smollett. but the new information stop

there's. chicago p.d. says a judge blocked them from givingut more information. despite that, the county's top prosecutor, who recused herself from the case, insists smollett did not get special treatment. earlier this week, prosecutors dropped 16 felony counts filed against him in return for 2 days of community service and a fe $10,000 cour >> mr. smollett was ed the same opportunity that anyone in cook county who had a nonviolen offense and quired background would be able to get. >> reporter: smollett is facing a federal probe foinallegedly mahimself a death threat. this morning, nbc news has learned that that case is also unraveling and may result in no criminal charges.'l keep an eye on the story and give you information as soon as it becomes available. >> megan, thank you. new overnight, somebody beca a powerball jackpot winner.

>> i thought you were going to be the winner. that ticket was sold in wisconsin. 16, 20, 37, 44, 62. the powerball was 12. you may have won amaller prize. but no one in our area won the $1 million or $2 million prizes, either. the winning ticket was sold in new berlin lump sum payoufor the pin winner, $768 million. wisconsin, youimannot c anonymously, though. about 6:13. still ahead, immediate backlash following the trump

administration's plan to cut federal funding for the special olympics. >> and it's opening day at nationals verk. our rage continues. our we're headingack out live to jim handly. .e need good weather, chu >> we do. the weather will be great for opening day today. saturday looks like itill be the better half of the weekend, no matter what. notuch of a rain chance on your saturday. sunday is a whole other story, though. cloudynd cool and showery, especially sunday morning. i'll give you the five-day forecast coming up next.

you're watching news 4

today. >> nationalsark is all quiet right now. but in a couple of hours, baseball wille back in d.c. the nats are facing off against the mets this afternoon. >> you have toe there this time of the morning to take in the scenery and really appreciate it. the fun begins much earlier. and jim handly is taking it all at nats park. >> you're right. we have just a few hours to go. but behind the scenes here at nationals park, tngs are getting moving. a few minutes ago, we told you about the food and whato expect down here. now, i'moined by mike shane. his is your lucky 13th opening day. >> that's right. every day i'm here for opening day, i'm lucky. >> what are the big things you have in the works for toda

>> we have a lot. we like to take the excitement for our fans. tke it the b experience we can. we have need bobbleheads. the first one on april 12th. juan soto. >> i saw the sign for that. that will be ubig. can't collect them all until you get the first one. we're bringing backfire wk fireworks night. baseball, summer, fireworks, they go together so well. we have a great slate of kids giveaways this year. starts with the kids' l.e.d. watch. my kids are looking forward to this screech-hooded towel. it will be great. >> you want to get oour hands that. that's bragging rights. sundays are big days. they're all about families here.

we have another mets game soming urday and sunday. >> we have the game today and saturdays and sundays. and sundays are fayily for us. after the game, all kids are invited to come down and run the bases. the nationals players were running just before. the players are signing autographs before the game.ey can still get walk-up tickets at the grandstands. >> that's ae' tradition had since the team came washington. invite you to come down. people are starting to a lineup the box office. you can come in and enjoy the game tonight. >> mike, good luck to you. we appreciate it. you mentioned the racing presidents. we will be running with them coming up on t next hit. eun and aaron back to you.

they are 12 feet tall. i will be standing on this chair. >> jim, thank u. >>let's turn to chuck bell. you can't have a good baseball day without good weather. >> that's true. we will not have a rainout today. by the time we get to the actual first pitch at 1:05 this afternoon, temperatures will rove climbed the 20s and 30s this morning, up to around 60egrees by lunchtime today. a very pleasant afternoon coming. you will need your extra layer of springtime fleece this morning. it's not as b cold as we'n in the last few mornings. but 30s mean you have to bundle up a bit. afternoon temperatur , above60 degrees. i'm forecasting 64 for a high today. town a lnoht south wind. hance for rain today. there is a tiny chance, that storm system to our north and west, inches its way towards us. it will bring in a chance of rain tomorrow, in parts of the

shenandoah valley and nthern maryland and western maryland, as well. here's future weather again. there could be some midday showers in the shenandoah tomorrow. and we'll start out dry again saturday mornin saturday afternoon again. those are hit and miss chances. a high chance for rain. here's sundayng mort 6:00 a.m. sunday, between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.,ha a highe of showers. dry weather back for monday of this week. boil it all down, 64 and sun today. 73 and clouds tomorrow. 5 with a breeze on saturday. and then, chilly on your sunday. let's go to traffic. >> taking a look at the roads northbound 210 a old fort road. had a crash. chopper 4 is showing you the delays headed inbound. it iry very slow. it is normally slow through that n. inbound suitland parkway, right side blocked by a crash there.ne

loop, outer loop, just fine. matssas, have that accid hanging around. travel time, 66 looks pretty go. 95 northbound, no problems. in maryland, 270, no issues. top of the beltway, 32 hours per hour.

you're watching news 4 >> this morning, there is growing backlash overal the propo cut funding for the special olympics. meagan fitzgerald has more on the fallout. >> special olympics is really parent becau they offer these different programs and activities. >> reporter: if there was a moment that gave eileen kao enormous joy. >> that was great, brian. >> reporte it would be seeing her 42-year-old brother, brian, who has down syndrome, feel like he's living his dream. as i won a medal. >> reporter: brianon dozens of medals at the special olympic games in the last three decades. >> i play bowling and tennis.>> he sense of accomplishment and the sense of achievement, it's something that actually will bring tears to my eyes.

>> reporter: but the federal p dollars that hnd the organization could be on the chopping block. betsy devos was grled by utmbers of congress tuesday, after wanting toll $18 million funding special olympics.rs a spokes for devos said, quote, the special olympics raises more than $100 million philanthropically every year. the activities of special olympics is better served with state and private funds. >> are we going to be okay? i tell them, we got this. we got your back, don't worry. this work will not die. o reporter: the organization says they're goingntinue to work with supporters in

congress. and they'll never stop advocating for those special athletes who don't always have a voice. >> the thought that their funding would be cut is devastating. ra>> reporter: meagan fitz, news 4. good morning. your dogng wal forecast this morning, this is layla. who doesn't like the paint job and the two-tone nose. the walks this morning, it is a chilly one. no puddles to jy.p to and not too windy, either. highs in the low 60s. back with a look at your current conditions straight ahead. ti we are g you ready for opening day. jim handly is down at nationals park. you have a few friends with you. >> a few of m tallest friends. we are getting pumped and in the spirit at nats park. you have to keep moving to

news 4 today starts now. >> looking outhere on your thursday. it will chart out chilly. a perfect forecast for baseball on this opening day

washington. >> that was a beautiful picture. >> we get the beautiful stuff at 6:30. t >> wenk you for waking up for us. we are happy to help you getad for the day ahead. down at nats >> jim handly up much earlierus than ual. he's in the spirit this morning. >> c&c, cold and caffeinated. these guys have the secret. they're wearing 50 pounds of layers. they are 12 feet tall. this is the secret to staheng warm it's 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 a.m. on a march day. we will have perfect weather at 1:05. acre on that coming up. we'll be b in just a few. >> on a cold morning.

let's check in with chuck. >> usually the coldest t the day is about that last 45 to 30 minutes before the sun comes up. early-morning brighteningn our skies. 38 degrees. it's a chilly one. it not windy out there. 30 in winchester. 27 in ft. meade. 30 d degreesn in st. mary's city. school day forecast forn kids their way out today. you need the morning layer of fleece. it will be outdoor play time at recess. and temperatures in the 60s. a-plus weather today, with a high near 64 degrees. tomorrow will be warmer. that forecast, comin. >> i saw the 70s earlier. northbound 210 at old fort road. earlier crash has caused serious delays.

chopper 4 showing the slowdown here. you have to hit the brakes for sure, just adding to the norma pain on inbound on indian head highway. s sudley road at manassas. that will be your slow spot. atwo woodbridge. g.w. parkway, scenic overlooks. right lane is blocked. right side blocked bh. a cras and 270 uthbound, frederick to the spur going 45 miles per hour. >> thank you. > developing this morning, prince george's county police are trying to solve a murder myste mystery. on wednesday morning, a man was dropped off at prince george's hospital center dieing from a gunshot wound. the victim was eric weaver jr. he and his father appen news 4 to talk about helping people in prison.

they had both been in prison anr wereng on their father/son relationship. the weaver family is in shock today. >> you have moments like, i'm never going to see him again.g i'm never go hear his voice again. and it hurts. >> eric weaver's father told us by phone, he doesn't know hohe will make it through this. police are trying to identify the people who dropped him off at the hospital. jamesomey satown with lester holt for his first inte visi television interview. at one point, lester holt asked comey if it surprised him that mueller didn't maket a judgm on obstruction of justice. >> more of the interview is coming up on the""tod show, right after news 4 today. new details on when you can tstart betting on sports district.

mark sea taves broke story on social media. contracts need to be approved before anys can be placed. those should be settled for privately operated venues. leaders are targeti january 2020 for the launch of a mobile app. it is 6:. right w, we turn back to opening day. this will be the scene, down at nats pa in a few hour ey will be taking on the mets in the first me. >> jim handly getting us ready for the big game. hey, jim. >> the key word fore this morning has been early. the earlier you get here, the better. the first 25,000 fans get free opening daysh t-irts. to model them, here the e, the great unveiling. this is the schedule.

pretty awesome. so, 25,000 people, fir through the gates, any gate can get them. they are the in-games. ho talk about the excitement you have planned for this game and every game. >> it all starts today. everything comes down to today. we have everything to give away, from t-shirts. >> nationals prize packs. budweiser beer. that will keep you warm. >> it is 5:00, a.m., but hey. talk about the guys.yo are a small part of the nat pack we have here. these are the presidents. what is the trick to winning? >> determination. >> being in ape.

that's teddy's issue. sorry, teddy. yeah. you got to be a little in shape. >> do these guy compete? do they get at it? >> they are as competitive as ationals are. >> this is the rushmore four here, right? >> we have the. rushmore fo the retired three in west balm beach. thnot done. they are passing off to big boys now. >> retirees in west palm beach. gore fi it's always the fourth inning. if you're out here, this is when they do their trick. 12 feet tall. how much does this weigh? you have to be in shape except for teddy? >> teddy mak it work and there's a reason he doesn't win many races. >> have funtoday. we appreciate it. this is the best way to stay warm. you have to really suitup. molette and aaron, back to you from nats >> never miss a race out there. make sure you're in your seat by

the time the race gets started. another round of march madness kicks off. the university of virginia among the teams fighting to stay in the big dance. >> the number one seed will take on the 12th seeded oregon ducksh toin louisville. the cavaliers spent yesterday practicing. they beat chuck's oklahoma sooners sunday to secure their sweet 16 spot. tip-off, tonight, just before 10:00. still ead on news 4 today, do you spend timein separat trash from recycling? why your sorting efforts may be backfiring. and they were ranked by their classmates for their looks.e now,s hear from local te tes

you're watching news 4 today. >> maybe you dstuff to be environme environmentally friendly and separate the garbage. >> some recycling plas can't process items like glass. ere's many items that you can recycle.fo >> if you s on newspaper, cardboard, aluminum. aluminum and steel cand plastic bottles and jugs, it will get recycled. >> prie william county is working on roll ought the new hrple drop-off bins for glass. you want to know you should be recycling at home, we have rules for each jurisdiction. search recycli in the nbc washington app. this morning, wow airlines

has canceled all of its flights. after failing to reach agreements from investors. wow's website recommends that ssengers check with other airlines for so-called rescue fares to get to their destinations. or> now, here's your cnbc morning business rt. >> i'm frank holland at cnbc headquarters. boeing hasnveiled a software fix for its 737 max planes, which have been grounded following two deadly crashes in recent months. the company plans to senthat update to the faa for approval. the faa and other regulators fehave to sign off on the of the 737 max before the planee can fly with pers onboard. some experts believe it could be up to three months before the grounded jets are in the air again. mold sporesre low but tree

pollen is in the moderate range. car washing forecast, nothing to worry about. steadier rain arrives first thing sunday plus, much-needed relief to our area's pothole problems. but it will mean a major road closure this weekend. we'll fill you in. and i saying the pollen is not why my nose is running. it's 38 degrees at nats park. by 1:05, in the

you're watching news 4 today. >> 6:45 right now. a live look at nationals park this morning. it isn opening day washington. we're going to fill you in on everything you need to know before a new season of baseball kicks off. >> look at that. we'll be taking you out to the ballpark in a few minutes for a live report from jim handly. he is up early. a just-released poll providing new clues of who would win the 2020 election i it were held today. the survey shows how divided the country is. 43% of those surveyed say president trumicand the repu party would win re-election. the same number, 43% of those surveyed, say a democrat would . another 9% say a third party candidate would come out on topu and they goes a bit further. it askparticipants who they

would vote f. 34% say they passed a ballot f president trump. 29% say they would vote for the democrat no matter who it ends up being. and 15% saying they are unsure backlash is brewing over a proposal to cut funding for the special olympics. >> nbc's hallie jackson is live at the white house this morning with details. good morninll . >> reporter: hey. yeah, betsy devos, the educatiot sey, will be back on capitol hill later on this morning. that's after her pretty fiery response to critics who were upset, frankly, about the trump administration proposal to cut fundheg for special olympics. this has touched a nerve all across the country. for example,ca ads, special olympics athletes, some of them putting up videos thaav gone viral now, explaining what the special olympics means to them. you have lawmakers on both sides of the aisle saying, this is not going to happen.

it is ultimately members of congress that will decide how much fundinghe special olympics will get. it put devos in the hot seat. and she says the administration helps kids with disabilities in otr ways. she has personally supported the special olympics. but given the budget climate, the federal government cannot support every worthy program. i had a chance to talk to tim shriver, the chairman of the special olympics. he has a message for secretary d los. >> we'llk for your report coming up on the "today" show. also, we'll be hearing from a group of students that made adlines. we h how students we punished for ranking classmates based on theirlooks. the list of 18 girls was spread media.er social now, some of the young ladies

are talking about being made into targets. >> i didn't want to see the list. i didn't want to believe i wth included olist. as the day progressed, it became the talk of the school. i knew i had to see it to have the correct view in this situation. after seeing the list, nothing was the same. >> these youngha ladie a plan to speak out against sexism inigh school. after weeks of dealing with the flat t tires and complaints from commuters, there's some relief on the way on one of the rbumpiestes in all of the dmv. thel natio park service will close part of the b.w. parkway for anmergency repair tieration. >> jfinch is on the parkway with more details. >> reporter: hey, there. these are closures i expect that most drivers will be okay with. the hope is that very soon

on the parkway, we'll have less of this. dll these bumps and holes in the road. e'll soon get a smoother ride. it begins with work set to start this weekend. they are fast tracking emergency repairs here. you will see that work on friday, tomorrow. the southbound parkway will closd from marylan 198 to maryland 197. saturday, from 7:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., 175 and 17ill close, as well. this will be phase one of what they're calling a two-phase project. >> enhanced approach will be an application of an adhesive patch that should last longer term. be able to be more durable. and be able to essentially gap e distance between what our temporary repairs and the long-term repairs.

>> so, drivers who are now bumping in their cars like we are, who may say, you know, we heard of potholesed being plu before. that's not the fix we need. as you heard, this is a special asphalt mix to cover the holes.e , will be the repav oing the roadway, that will eliminate the bumps and the a potholes takevi the pain out of dring on parkway here. >> thank you. 6:50 right now. let's head out to the ballpark ahead of opening day today. new season of baseball for the nationals beginning in a few hours. >> couldbe thihe year we win the world series? could it be? 162 games to find out and itts stith today's action. >> jim handly joining us from nationals park. >> the biggest change this season is, we're not going to

ile bryce harper today. but he return to d.c. next week in a phillies jersey. that will be how the 42,000 fans react to that. let's focus on the good thisye ar. we have a lot of it this season. all begins with a great starting pitcher. max scherzer, he's ours. he will be back on the mound for the fourth opening day start for the nationals. we're lucky to have one of the best pitchers in the league. he hashr won cy young awards. the nats are calling today #scherzday. i had a chancelk to o john t turnour. he is the director of thes grouhere. it looks serene. here's howe ld me he had to cope with all of the rain we saw this season. l t year was certainly a challenging year. wettest year on ascord. challenging as it was for us,

challenging for our fans, our players, everybody, really, involved. you know, fingers crossed this year, really hopingor a much drier year. >> perfect weather today. ase you're wondering, the field here at nats' park is a tural grass field. nbc washington will be here all day long, celebrating withetfan. r you'll be here at the game or watching from home, tag i'm going to be interviewing nerk le i will have his inrview at 5:00. doug kammer back here at4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 when it's 65 dries. allf the informati you need to know. what to bring, what not to bring. whatan eat down here.

the food is a big story. i have the swag bag and it's full. >> that's nice. one of our viewers tweeted, she was confused about the time of day, seeing jim out ngthere. you d okay? >> i'm a little confused, too. caffeine doesthhelp, gh. >> we appreciate you getting up forrous today, jim. >>oying every minute of it. bell.et's turn to chuck the weather matters big-time. >> it sure does. i'm happy thatur mother n decided to throw a strike right at us. the skies are clear and the winds are light. there will be a quick warm-up today. ost areas in the 30s this mornin a few spots below theez fg mark. 32 in front royal. and 28 degrees in upper marlboro. yourakg up forecast here, temperatures above 40 degrees by

9:00 in the morning. and baseball forecast, when they open up the gates at :00 a.m., temperatures in the cool mid-40dus. ng the game time, temperatures in the low to mid-60s. tomorrow, evenmilder. we'll start off in the mid to upper 40s. as a result of the milder start, we'll have a milder finish. we'll be in the low-70s tomorrow. a weather front way out to the west itomorrow. th a chance for swers in the shenandoah valley. low rain chances. 'll hang 30% for the i-81 corridor on dfriday. ain chances lower on saturday. 20ish or so% for your saturday. and the rain stays out of the d.c. metro aila u the sun comes up on sunday morning. showers are likely from about sunrise sunday morning until 2:00 in the afternoon, before things start to dry out again. there's the ten-da forecast. nice weather for the next few days.

chilly rain drops onsunday. and a chilly start to next week. the cherry blossoms should be out by then. >> chopp 4, over 95 northbound. don't see earlier problems.we typical at the problem. now, we're flowingn. once ag we have a brand-new accident morning.is southbound 270, after shady grove road. have some delays there. the left lane hov. in the mainlanes, an accident. taking a look at your trave times. 270, 32 miles per hour. top of the beltway, 26 milro per hour, 95 over to 270. taking a look in virginia 66 inbound. 27 miles per hour. pretty slow there. 95 north, quantico to the beltway, 47 miles per hour.

listen to wtop 105 f.m.hen you hop in your car today. here are 4 things to know. a sentencing day for a killer in northern virginia. you can look for updates from the courtroom in the nbc washington app. we'll find out what's next for jussie smollett. chges against the"empire" actor were dropped earlier. he was accused of orchestrating a hate crime against himself. one ticket matched last night's powerball drawing worth $768 million. the numbers on your screen -- the powerball was 12. it probably won't match your ticket. the ticket was sold in wisconsin. get out to nationals park early if you're going to opening day. some garages open as early as 10:00. gates to the park open at pregame ceremonies at 1:15.

pitch.irst the backpacks are banned from the ballpark this season.do camera will be out there all day, keeping on top of all of this. and you can follow along in the nbc washington app, as ll. >> let's get a forecast in there, as well. sunshine and 64, 70s tomorrow. >> thank you, check. that's the news for today. we appreciate you waking up with us. >> all right. and the "today" sw isho c

good morning. nbc news exclusive. good morning. nbc news exclusive. former fbi director james comey, the man who started the russia investigation, weighing in for the first time onheueller report's conclusion of no collusion. >> believe it or not, that should be good news whether you're democrat or republican. >> but calls out the special reunsel for what he did not do and thedent for the attacks on the fbi. >> i don't think we've seen ie history of our country a president try to burn down an o institution justice. the backlash. ouecage over the dision to drop all charges against jussie smollett. this morning the president calling it outrageous and an embarrassment. the white hot spotlight on o' chic top prosecutor forced to