bloom. what's being done to make sure the beautiful attractions aren't doomed. good morning, everyone, thanks for joining us for "news4 today." i'm eun yang. >> i'm cory smith in for aaron gilchrest this morning. it.s 6:00 a the crowds, boy were they out yesterday for cherry blossoms.ea it is still bloom. a lovely day. get out there again. it's going to be another peak day -- now to avoid the crowds. a chilly start, but things are going to warm up. let's start with storm team 4 meteorologist amelia drake and the thursday forecast. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we'll have more clouds out there but lighter winds than yesterday. currently inwashington, the temperature coming in at 47 degrees as we move toward 7 clafm. similar elms -- 7:00 a.m. similar temperatures, at 9:00, warming to the low 50s.

noticing more cloudiness. m partly ttly cloudy skies. grab the light jacket at least stepping out the door this morning. you do not need theumbrella. by 11:00 a.m., temperatures around 60ra the a this time. year, 63 degreestoday. above normal, highs in the mid to upper 60s. not the case tomorr . onfriday, cool temperatures out there, rain, as well. as we move toward the weekend, on monday, temperatures rebound. nning well above normal, especially out on monday. before i send it over to jack taylor with wtop, want to give you the pollen aren't for today. mold and grasses coming in low. trees coming in moderate. so if you're eezing, sniffling with your seasonal allergies, there, the trees out potentially the grasses, as well. those have just started to come up identifier the last wee or -- up over the last week or so. over to jack taylor with wtop. inch unfortunately in loudoun county this morning. >> repor we had a serious crash, eastbound route 9. i want to take you to chopper 4. the police activity was south on

the bw parkway after 197. this has been safely moved to the shoulder. the crash office route 9 eastbound before berlin rn ke. traffic's alternating by one direction at a time. he crash had blocked eastbound traffi we also have innovation eight at 28/sullyraroad. the in sterling, authorities should be on scene there. back to you. >> thank you so much. we are standing by, awaiting a major official announcement from the vatican. justin finch is going to be live with the possible appointment of a new archbishop, atlantabi arop wilton greg reerks new leader of the archdiocese of washington. he is live at a st. matthews of the apostle for us with more on the announcement. justin? >> reporter: good morning. we are hearing jt no just moments ago that the announcement was made that atlanta archbishop wilton archbishop be the in washington for our diocese here. we count more an 600,000 tholics in the area, and a

very with diverse community. mentioned, the word has just come down. the archbishop had served a least since about 2005. he rose to national prominence -- international prominence for his leadership of the u.s. conference of catholic ebishops. the pushed very hard for aer zero-tce policy when it comes to the abuse of children sexually. scandal, of course, did embroil his bred scissors, as well. se predecessor, as well. donald wuerl of co resigning last year. cardinal mccarrick was defrocked earlier this year. we do have a line up-to-showow the events came together in time. back in august 18th of 2018, that's when cardinal meerl's came up with a grand jury investigation into alv pennia child abuse cover-up. his name listed several times. october 12th of18 cardinal

wuerl did resign. and then february 16th of this year, cardinal mccarrick was defrocadd. he himselfeen accused, as well, of sex abuse in his career with theatholic church. we can tell you inside and outside of the catholic church, the appointment of archbishop gregory as the archbishop of wear here.ce the d here, it has many people hopeful about the church moving forward. >> he's someone who has past experience taking a leadership ling with the sexual abuse crisis. he was president of the u.s. bishops conference dur g 200 and 2002. in that chair he was basically the front man for implementing the dallas charter which was how the church responded to the lasf round sexual abuse crises. i think he presents a steady hand. >> reporter: so again, as you heard there, this archbishop renowned for his leadership the church as it was embroiled in a widespread child sex abuse

scandal in the early 2000s. he of course would als be the first african-american bishop here for the washington archdiocese here. that, of course, history-making, as well. catholic insiders saying that someone with his pedigree, of course his backgrounds, will make him an ideal fit he in the washington area. we'll bring you much more as it comes in. a we knoress conference is set for later this morning. we of course will have ae crew th bringing you updates on air andond our nbc washington app. >> thank you. to a developing story in calvert county. a family and a community are devastated this morning. >> yeah. a fast-moving fire left a woman and her13-year-old granfiaughter dead. town homes were destroyed leaving nearly a dozen families with no place to live. >> meganrcgre is live with reaction from the family of those who died. very sad story. >> reporter: oh, it's j

terrible story. a devastating and deadly fire. if you look behind me here. this isum that is left of five town homes. there used to be a row right here, all of them one by one, side by side. we don't have a single wall standing at this point. that is how complete the destruction is. a woman and her 13-year-old gr ddaughter died in this fire when they could not get out of their town home. they were tpped inside. they could not get out in time. take a look at this video. this was shot by chopper 4er yey. you can see the moment when one of the town homes pulledy awa from the unit next to it and came ground, just collapsed. my colleague, shamari stone, he spoke with tookathleen link. her mother, wendy welch, and her niece, stephanie link, were on the phone with 911 with a dispatcher trying to get help when their unit collapsed. they were not able to make it out alive.

>> distraught. i just -- i don't know what to ink right now. i just can't believe i'll never see either one of them again. >> reporter: and kathleen link also lived in the town home. she not only lost her family members, but she lost everything that she owns. that is the situation for many families here. five town homes were completely destroyed. and some of the folks had to justlee wearingnly the clothing on their backs. the red cross is assisting them. there were ten firefighters with injuries here, three weretr sported to an area hospital for burns. those three, though, have been treated and released at this pot. inerms of the cause of this fire, it is believed to be accidental. investigators will come back out here this morning and take a closer thok. believe it started outside accidental to the town homes. back to you. >> megan mcgrath live in

chesapeake beach for us. thank you. there are ways for you to help the many people displaced by the fire. reach out to the red cross and see what they need. they're already helping with temporary hsing and food. more information on the nbc washington app at the top of the home page. to the latest on the deadly new zealand mosque att the man accused of carrying out the massacre will be in court fridayeno face d of murder charges. he's from australia and has been charged ntth one c of murder after being arrested last month. 50 people were killed in the two mosques in christchurch. dozens were sho and wounded. the judge said the hearing will be about his legal represen stion. he hasd that he wants to represent himself. back in our area at 6:08, a final report finds that a ry county police office was justified in a deadly officer-involved shooting last summer v body cameraeo worn by the officer shows the encounter between the offwher and robert

ite in silver spring last june. white was unarmed. but iestigators say he assaulted the officer after het atd to speak with him. police found a folding knife in white's thpocket. report says in part, quote, the facts and circumstances of the enencounter bet officer badgujar and mr. white demonstrate that the use of deadly force was lawful and justified. e howard county state's attorney's office also cleared the officer of any cminal wrongdoing. we're learning new details about a crash involving montgomery county police that shutown parts of i-270. officials now saying the crash happened during an escort training exercise we're told an officer on a motorcycle was practicing a maneuver and had a problem when forced him to lay the bike down to avoid serious crash. a second officer also on a motorcycle had to do theame thing. good news, both of these officers will be okay. fallout from the attorney general's summary. investigators for special

counsel robert mueller tell "the new york times" the report was more damaging tnen attorney l roseanne bamohamed elbaraderb. investigators are frustrated because barr did not adequatelye portray conclusions. barr said mueller cleared president trump of collu mon but did ne a conclusion on obstruction. the attorney general determined president trump did not obstruct justice. the "times" reports barr was frustrated mueller did not make a decision about obstruction. nbc epws has not idently confirmed the times' reporting. the house judiciary committee approved subpoenas for elr's fundamental report. barr has said tt he will release a redacted version by the middle of this month. next week barr is set to ttify before congress about the justice dertment's 2020 budget. it will be the first opportunity foro lawmakers question him. the tidal basin is one of the most beautiful areasuto check this time of the year. and now it is officially a national treasure.

on the steps of the jefferson memorial yesterday, the national parks service joined with the trust for the national mall and the national trust for historic preservation to declare tha the time to save this national treasure is now. the tidal basin was designed in the 1880s, and the parks service says it was b notlt to handle millions of visitors. >> on a daily basis, walkways surrounding the basin are flooded at high tide, making them impassablit for vs and compromising the roots of these very cherry trees. the area was never designed for the volume or kinds of use it seeings today. >> the new designation will lead a multi-year effort to create a master plan forin the tidal b to hopefully protect it for decades to come. >>s and later t month, news4's working for you with an in-depth look at our changing climate. see how it is impacting your health, your money, your and even your commute. our primetime special airs on earth day, april 22nd, at 7:30

ght here on news4. who's hungry? changes to school lunches across the country. the government makin some moves to allow for some more unhealthy choices in the now the district is joining half a dozen other states to fight the move. we'll tak aloser look at the case. amelia? >> we're try today, but here's r snapshot tw at 8:00 a.m. grab the umbrella.e i'll hre on friday's rain and how it impacts the weekend coming up. for now, over to molette who's getting us ready for prom. >> reporter: yeah, i vz a small sampling of some of the dresses. and menswear have been donated that youil w see at the prom popup. here's pat lawson muse's dress that she donated. we'll talk t the organization behinds this special uvent comingnext on "news4 today."

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smartdogs are not the answer. but geico has a simple tip. turn on "do not disturb while driving" mode. brought to you by ico. 6:15. we have breaking ne. we've received theficial announcement from the vatican. pope francis is appointing archbishop wilton gregory of atlanta as the new archbishop of washington. >> he's a longtime leader in the catholic church. he was the president of the u.sf conferenceishops from 2001 two 2004. during that time the church was dealing its first major sex abuse scandal. local experts church say archbishop wilton gregory has a lot of challenges ahead within the archdiocese ofn washin >> joining us on the phone right now is ed condon, d.c. editor for "catholic news agency." thanks for joining us. >> good morning. >> tell us what this

announcement means for the washington archdiocese and for the catholic church. >> well,ost immediately it means that there's an end to what's been a long period ofspection -- speculaicon for cath cardinal wuerl's resignation was accepted by the pope in october. since then everyone's been waiting to find out who the new leader's going to be. that's the first reaction to the news, just to say it's a relavf to they name. >> how important is it to have someone like archbishop gregory who has a steady hand andas dealt with the current scandal the church is dealing nkth? >> i this is something we're taking a very, very, carel interest in. it's important for them and for the catholics in the pews. archbishop gregory has a long track record. morey, importan he's in the forefront of helping the church deal with its response to scandals. he's a member of tar task force d with bringing more

accountability to bishops in the united states. i not he's very much still in ghe game in that sense. >> all ed condon, d.c. editor for "the catholic news agency." thank you. a lot of local catholics anxio to see how this changes things. >> we'll have more on line in the nbc washington app. >> talking prom. pretty much the final bow on your high school career. what you wear is seared into your memory forever. >> that is why one organization making sure high school seniors have no regrets. they put out a call for dress donations. d news4 answeredhe call. pat lawson muse donated several of her gowns to help ease that burden for a few young ladies in the area. molette green is live now with details on a very special prom dress popup happening in prince george's county. a lot of pretty dresses out there. >> reporter: a lot. and pat and i talked ab wt this. it emotional for her to give

up some of her dresses, but she knew it was for a good it's all about the hair, the dress, the shoes, the suit for prom. this is just a small sampling of some of the donations. they have lots more that you will see. and you know, prom is so special.co tney here and amar'e is going to prom. they're going to prom in year. and so they are our two models this morning. i want t talk with gumbay cares, the organization behind this and took in all the donations and thegoal, of course, to be able to give -- outfit as many young men and womens possible this saturday. all right. leadershi let's bring in khan teleasada. saturday is very -- ante chantel asada. saturday is very important. >> it is st. weto wan make it special for each boy and girl in the d.c. area. and we want to give to all those who need assistance this season.

we have plenty of dresses. we have over 250 dresses and over aozen suits that have been donated by the miguel wilson collection.'r we excited. we have shoe accessories, we have hairstylists and photographers. please come down. we're so excited to have, you kn, the community's backing. please bring your children down. >> all right. it's all going down on this saturday right here at the kentland community center here in landover from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00.m. it's a pre-prom popup. and we need this in the t community fse who don't have the resources to go all out on prom. iokay. so want to thank again our handsome and beautiful models, demonte and tnco, for showing us what they will look like on prom day. backyoo you. >> thau. >> a great effort. maki it mor memorable. we want to remind you about our community boot camp also taking place in prince george's county. it's happening friday, april

12th at the westphalia community center in upper marlboro. molette green will be live working for the community as usual helping you get fit for spring. >> a good day. i'm waiting for your prom pictur >> i've got to go through facebook and found it. i think i burned mine. >> same here. >> with mollete's getti fit for spring -- >> to see the results. she looks amazing. >> super inspiring. i love the tips. they're easy to do here or there. i'mold i have to talk about the weather. beautiful sunrise out there now. we have cloudiness. nsat makes for a picture-perfect sunrise and . i'm going to be sharing that on facebook and twitter. right now temperatures ranging from the mid 30s to upper 40s. so wide range in temperatures. bottom line, probably want to grab the jacket aheheading out door. by lunchtime, 62. we hit a high of 67 yesterday. we warmed to 72. cooler, more but lighter winds. overall, still a really pleasant

day out there. and it's completely dry on your thursday. this is friday, though. it's chilly. rainy, a bit breezy. a high of only 55 degrees tomorrow with rain at twiems throughout t entireday. you could be dealing with rain heading to work and coming home from work, as well tomorrow. here's the stoea 4 five-day forecast. maybe a lingering shower or some drizzle out there saturday morning. by saturdaoe afternoon, it look like we see peeks of sunshine. comfortable temperatures, a thoughund 70. still plenty of clouds in the orecast on sunday with the temperature aroun70 degrees. on monday, look at our high -- near d80rees on monday. but as we move toward the afternoon and evening hour some rain, maybe even rumbles of thunder are in the forecast. there's the chance foror rain on tuesday with a temperature around 70 degrees. next wednesday and ty are looking dry. again, today we'll have ptly to mostly cloudy skies. light winds and high temperatures near 70.

jack taylor, how are the roads? >> reporter: we've got chopper 4 flying in virginia on 66 near the beltway. you see all the headlights headed toward 495. your lanes are open. thma trouble is in ssas, 66 we end at suddenly with an accident in the left lane. eastbound route 9 before the berlin turnpike, good news, the accidentity has cleared. chopper 4 also going to head to the crash on the forecast pay at burke center parkway. the accident is in the intersection. the troubles on the rails will be on the red line. unfortunately here, we ghost trains. at thipoint there's a signal problem outside of farragut north. red line shady grove.ays toward

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breaking news comingrom the vatican this morning. wilton gregory from the atlanta has been n ned the

archbishop of washington. it was made official just 30 minutes ago that gregory has accepted the job. good morning, everyone, i'm eun yang. >> i'm cory smith in for aaron gilchrest. before we get a check of weather and traffic, we're going to check with news4's justin finch. >> he joins us ve from st. matth matthew's cathedral in northwest with more on the breaking news. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. history made here in washington today with the announcement from the vatican that pope francis has chosen archbishop wilton a gregor to lead the washington archdiocese. he had been in ainanta 2005 as archbishop, and now the eyes of the wor see how he leaves his mark on his post here in washington. he did r to international prominence as the president of the u.s. conference, catholic conference of bishops there where he did maintain a very strong stance, his zero-tolerance policyld of c

sex abuse in the church. he pushed hard for that and made a name in doingo.ex me snt here in washington, around the world about the post. we'll have you bring in more about that coming up lat in the show. back to you. >> allright. thank you. and now let's get a check of the forecast and we start with storm team meteorologist tom kiere meteorolog for chuck bell.in look at that sky. >> a beautiful start. sunrise at 6:49. right now just spectacular out there. we have couple winds and cool tempreatures. 47 d right now with partly to mostly cloudy skies across the area. we are going to have more clouds overall throughout the day today compared to yesterday. with that being said, comfortable temperatunce again. mid to upper 60s, later winds, as well. for tomo we are going to have rain at times on a chilly, damp, and breezy day.he ise as we look to saturday, maybe a light shower out theee as we have of sunshine later in the day.

and sunday, it's cloudy butor coble out there throughout the day. coming up, i'll have a closer look at the day, hour by hour, what you com expect at lunch, plus when kids get home from school, what it will feel like then. also tracking rain chances for tomorrow. for now, a new issue o there, jack. >> reporter: we do, unfortunately. the fairfax county parkway at the b center parkway. the northbound lanes. the right side getting by to the right. southbound there had been activity. that's cleared. northbound fairfax county parkway to the burke center parkway, right side is getting by. you'll fines slower traffic on route 9 coming eastbou before berlin turnpike. an earlier crash that has cleared. lat least now your travees are open. 95 northbound in dale city, the service road, we have accident activity squeezing to the left, you see the arrow board flashing. main line delay already existed. we were just a little slower in

the service roadway. we had issues on metro on the red line. expect delays to shady grove due to the signal problem. back to you. ll right. thank you so much. now to the tragicin devel story in chesapeake beach. several families waking up, wondering what they're going to do. they've lost everything after eir homes were destroyed in a fire yesterday in calvert county. >> one family is also mourning the loss of their mother and 13-year-old niece who were killed in the fire. chopper 4 caught the moment one of the tn homes collapsed as firefighters doused it with water. the fire started at 4:15 yesterday afternoon on gordon stinnett avenue. severa firefighters were hurt trying to get inside the house to save wendy welsh and her granddaughter stephanie eylink. couldn't make it inside before the collapse, and -- outside, rather, and both were killed. wendy's daughter, kathleen, spoke exclusively with news4st night. >> mom was on the phone with th-

fire departmen >> reporter: she couldn't get out? >> no. they told her to jump out the window. they said the house collapsed on her, and the phone went dead. >> governor hogan tweeted condolences saying, quote, our prayers are with the loved one of the victims. three firefighters were taken to the hospital for burns. the fire appears to have been an accident. meg megan mcgrath will join us le in a few minutes. we're learning details as to why a bethesda man allegedly paid someone to terrorize a 7-year-old girl and her mother. >> the girl's father said the plot was driven by jealousy. massoud mac tarry is charged with heighting a hit man to break into the woman's townhouse and put a gun to the 7-year-old's head. the hit man he tried to hire turned out to be a police officer. mak makhtari was angry the woman started dating someone new. >> it seemed this matter made

mr. khri mad and this unbelievable thing happened. >> he faces charges including liciting an undercover officer to kidnap a child. a montgomery county police officer remains in a hospitalni this mor after collapsing tuesday. was chasing a suspected shoplifter at the westfield bhe whdton mall when he suffe medical emergency. at last check, the officer remains in critical but stable condition. "the new york times" is t reportint there may be more to special counsel robert mueller's report than the l attorney gener on. according to the report, mueller's investigators areed frustrilliam barr did not adequately portray their conclusions. they told the "times" that mueller's findis are more troubling for president trump than barr indicated in his eitial summary of investigation. you'll remember that in barr's summary he writes thatdueller leared the president of collusion but could not exonerate him on the question of obstruction of justice. mueller's actual report hasot

been made public yet, adding te fuel to the dever bhewhether it should be released. bill barr said it will be made public but will have redaction. it is due out mid-april. new,irginia lawmakers voted in favor of a budget amendment that changes a law impani impacting the law of driver's lapses of nearly one million people -- driver's licenses of nearly one million people., befonyone with fines or fees had their licenses suspended. that's no longer the case. supporters argued it unfairly punishes poor people. aptrevious bipartisan att to overturn the law failed. virginia's lieutenant governor, justin fairfax, spoke out yesterday abo calls to allow the two women who have accused him ofl sexsault to testify before lawmakers. he said it should be the police, not politicians, f who hearm them. he has denied both accusations and said the resul of a recent private polygraph prove his innonce. he says he want a criminal investigation because he believes it will hel exonerate

m. 6:37. here's a look at the other top stories we're following for you this morning. a virginia man is behind bars accused of secretly recording people while they were undressed at spa world in centreville. the investigation began when a man s a videof himself for sale on social media. authorities say they found more than 150 videos of 81 people from spa world. montgomery county police say the crash involving officers that shut down part of i-270 yesterday took part during a training exercisen we're told officer on a motorcycle was practicing a maneuver near clarksburg road and h a problem which forced him to lay down the bike to avoid a serious crash. second officer on a motorcycle had to do the same thing. both of the officers are expected to be okay. today tesla ceo elon musk will be in court. the sec wants to hold musk in contempt over comments he posted on twit hr. in februar tweeted that his electric car company could build around 500,000 cars this year.

the sec claims that tweet violated musk's 2018 fraud settle investment which he disclosed private share information without approval. heading back to court, the man accused of carrying out the deadly attack on two mosques last month. he's facing dozens of murder charges. 50 were killed, dozens more wounded. the gunman says he would like to represent himself. and still ahead, announce a new plan to crack down on driver's who are on thei cell phones while behind the wheel. and molette green is working omfor you in the cnity this morning. what's coming up? >> reporter: yeah, we're putting out the call to come to a free prom popup in prince george's county. we have high school seniors, courtney and demoni, wearing some of the outfits.

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april is arriving with new numbers out of aaa. three out of ten people are okay with someone being on a phone while driving. d.c. police feel dherwise. theartment announced a crackdown on distracted drivers. aaa eve created a word to descri drivers when they're on their phones behindhe wheel, xt inated. you get the reference? >> clever. the first time on an airpla can be scary for anyone but it can be scary also for children with disabilities. >> merican airlines offers program to help kids become more comfortable with flying. it's calmed the "it's cool to fly american" program. it allows children with autism to participate in a mock flight to get them ready for their skies.e time in the idea came from an american airlines employee who was disabled and saw the need. the free program typically takes about 3.5 hours to complete. now here's your orcnbcng business report. good morning, i'm frank holland at cnbc hethquarters. high cost of health care continues to impact americans'

wallets. a survey by galtp and health finds people collectively borrowed $88 billion last year to pay for health care. the report also finds one in four adult say they actually skip treatment because of the cost. despite the financial strain, 64% say theyre completely or mostly satisfied with their experiences with the health care system. with your cnbc morning business repo, i'm frank holland. let's head to break with a check on the forecast with amelia. >> well, the commute to and from rk today, no issues weatherwise as the kids head off to school. make sure they grab the light jacket. a chilly start. if you're getting a run or walk in especially later today, it's looking nice and comfortable. i'll time out the day hour by hour with what to exerct, plus s rain in the forecast tomorrow. more when it moves in and leaves t the forecast in less th minutes. still ahead, prouesident trumping a new threat. eqis from the democrats using their power tost his tax returns. we'll tell you what they're

hoping to find.

6:45 on this thursday morning. we're back with breakinshnews. gton, d.c., has a new archbishop and he's already king history. wilton gregory has accepted the job. the vatican made it official less than one hour ago. thrning, reaction to the breaking news. a heartbreaking story out of calvert county. a fire in a town home has claimed the life of a wom and her granddaughter. morning a news4 is speaking to news4.

we'll begin with the major announceme announcement. o >> pope franciicially appointed new leadership to the archdiocese of washington. archbishop wilton gregory of atlanta. news4's justin finch is live from the cathedral of s matthew the apostle with more. good morning.oo >> reporter:morning. we can tell you the whispers have been circulating now for about a week. this morning, 6:00 a.m., top o the hour, it became official that atlanta archbishop wilto egory will be moving north here to d.c. as archbishop. he's also the first african-american to hold that post. a lot of eyes, though, will be on him the moment he gets to work. we can tell you that because they want to see how he handles the many scandals that have swirled about the church in d.c. he did rise to international prominence because of his leadership of t u.s conference of catholic bishops. there he was a staunch advocate for a zero-tolerance policy regarding child abuse as he held that post. for many that will bring todi

minds cls donald wuerl as well as cardinal theodore mccarrick. both were embroiled in child sex abuse controversies. cardinal wuerl resigasng year. cardinal mccarrick defrocked this year. abuse ind of sexual his career. we're also hearing, as well, from the new appointee, archbishop wilton egy. he says in this quote here, i look forward to encountersing d listening to -- encountering and listening to the people of e local church as we address the issues that face us as we continue to grow in the love of rist that sustains us. and for catholic insiders watching the story develop, it's a very exciting time, as well. >> archbishop gregory has a long track recorsh of lead. more importantly, he's currently in the forefront. helping the church i deal with response to scandals. he's right now a member of a task force charged byhe american bishops with bringing

more accountability to bishops in the united states. so i think he's very much still ai the game in that sense. >> reporter: so a lot of people wondering what he willo as he gets into his new officers here. in washington, in area he counts more than 600,000 catholics all from diverse backgrounds. le also looking to see how he will connect with them. we canell you, as well, that he is again known for his leadership and respect wanted for doing so. a very f exciting tim many who have been watching the story evelop over the past week or so. just to see what he will do once he gets here. we do know thereill be a press conference later in the morning. we'll bring you updates on that, air and also on our nbc washington app. we're live here in rthwest, justin finch. stin ne bws i tacha4,nke yoku. now to that tragic developing story in chesapeake beach. several families are homeless after a fire destroyed their homes yesterday in calvert county. >>y one famurning the loss of their mother and 13-year-old

niece who were killed in the fire. >> megan mcgrath has reaction from family members of those who died. megan? >> reporter: bell, good morning. just a tragic story. to give you some perspective mhere, look over shoulder. this is what t row of town homes looked lfire. these are located next door. right behind the chesapeake beach water this is whatst l cpletefe.park . five town homes burned to the ground. there is not a single wall standing. a woman and her 13-year-o -yea- granddaughter died when they could not gt, they were trapped inside. this video was shot by chopper 4. you see the moment when one of the towhomes actually separated from the unit next door and then collapsed. my colleague, shamari stone, spoke to kathleen link. she says her mother, wendy welsh

and her nie were on the phone with 911 trying to get help, but they just couldn't get out of their burning home in time. >> told her to jump out the window. they said the house collapsed on her, and the phone went dead. they were together. they said that they found both of them together with their arms around each other. >> reporter: kathleen link also lived that town home. she not only lt her loved lnes but alsoost everything that she owns. that's the situation for all of the families in these five town homes. there's very little if anythang that be salvaged. some firefighters we hurt, ten firefighters. actually three were taken to the hospital for burns. all have been treated and released at this point. in terms of the cause of this i fireis preliminarily delieved to be accidental. but it started outnd then spread to the homes. back to you. >> veryst sad y. megan mcgrath, live in chesapeake beach. thanyou. >> and developing this morning, democrats flexing their new

power. the house ways and means has requested six years of president trump's taxeturns from the irs. republicans say it could set a dangerous precent of using the tax returns for political gain. the president has previously refused to release his tax cuments because he says he's being oughtited. former -- being audited. former vice president joe biden is speakingout. several women have come forward saying he made physical contact they felt was inappropriate but none has accused him of sexual hadassment. yesthe tweeted a short show response. >> i've never thought of politics as cold and antiseptic. i've always thought about connecting with ople. as ished, shaking hands, hands on the shoulder, a hug, encouragement. and now -- now it's all about taking selfies together. social normsave gown change. they've shift -- have begun to change. they've shifted. the bounds of personal space have been reset. i get , i get it. >> biden is expected to make a

run for the white house in 2020 and has been leading for the race. no prominent democrat has suggested h stay o of the race because of the allegations. it's 6:52. n promisins about the chesapeake bay. >> yeah, the annual report about the bay's health has been. releas shows an improvement in water quality. quality's actually the highest n it's been tracking began more than 30 years ago. for the first time, officials are tcking the impact of climate change on the chesapeake bay. some top leaders are pushing congress to protect the bay's cleanup proje from the trump administration's proposed budget cuts. the plan would slash the project's budget by 90%. that's good news.d let's h to storm team 4's amelia draper for a check on ur forecast. good morning. >> good morning. right now we're at 47 degrees it wash. the suburbs generally around 40. a cool start but dry out there this morning. absolutely fantastic suheise. asids head to the bus stop, probably want to grab the

jacket. again, temperatures hanging out for the most part in the low to 0s. by recess, it's nice, a mix of clouds and sunshine.he 62 around lunchtime hours today. you can run a few errands, have a lunch outdoors. the weather is cooperating. as theds school day w down, plenty of clouds but comfortable temperatures. high todayf 67. we're running about five degrees above .norm as we look to tomorrow, we hav rain at 6:00 a.m. a light shower or two. but mainly cloudy and dry. toward 8:00, 9:00, light rain will overspread the area. throughout the midday and afternoon hourstomorrow, i ton track rain. nothing too heavy, but kind of a da, rainy day especially during the second half of your friday. and chilly, as well. temperatures tomorrow only o the 50s. this is a look at your evening commute tomorrow. it could be a slow go with rain in theforecast. rain for the most part ends on friday.

i can't rule out a light t show out there on saturday morning. and then sunshine later saturday with the high around 70 degrees. on sunday, mostlyloudy skies, high of 70. then near 80 on monday with some rain and maybe even a rumble of thunder possible. how are the rides right now, jack taylor? >> reporter: well, chop resea-- chopper 4 had an accent on 234. it's safely moved to the left shoulder. northboundent burkee parkway, crash was in the left turn lane. two right lanes getting by. westbound innovation at 28 in sterling, tt accident activity just cleared. you'll also find eastbou at turnpike, two lanes are getting by. linee rails, the metro red expect delays from shady grove from an earlier signal problem outside of fair butt urth. back to - farragut north. back to you. >> thank you. prom is always a big moment in your high school reer. what you wear might be something you remember forever. >> yeah. that's why one organization is

making sure high school seniors have no regrets. >> this morning, our molette green is live with detailsn a special prom dress popup in prince george' county. hi, maolletmollete. >> reporter: we're putting out the call for folks to take vaz of aonderful thing happening in the community. this is pat lawson muse's donated gown. so many people donated from the community, and digners came out, as well. we've got courtney and damonte wearing some of the donated items. his suit alone, $1,500. okay. somebody's going to look really nice for prom. okay. let's talk to be chantel asada ngth the organization put together the popup. why should people really take advantage? >> oh, man, so we have the community's backing. they have donated over 250 dresses which we are so thrilled about. neand we have local desigrs like michel wilson who has donated over a dozen suits to our foundation, and --

>> all the accessories that we have behinds us, as well. >> all the accessories family planning. things that cos$1,500 they're getting for free. >> reporter: worth it. t i knos is a lot for many families. it's coming up on saturday from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the kentland community prom popup.e that is worth it. all right. back to you. >> thanks. it's 6:56. we begin the 4 thingswi to know breaking news -- pope francis has namedartlanta bishop wilton gregory as the new archbishop of washington. -- new archdiocese of washington. look for updates on o app. a fire left a grandmother and her granddaughter dead. a dozen filies have lost a place to live. we have informationn the app. investigators for robert mueller tell "the new york times" the final report was more damaging than attorney general roseanne ba -- attorney general william barr

revealed. more next. and democrats sking for president trump's tax returns from the irs. go to the app to find out why and what republicans have to say. thank you so much for joining us for "news4 today." e "today" show is next. >> it is a beautiful sky. we'll be back in 25 minutes. have a great day. see you soon.

i'm paige, and well the little thing that i like about the grilled chicken sandwich is that it's picture perfect. it's juicy and it just has all the right combinations. i think i could be considered a grilled chicken sandwich influencer. my name is frank and the little thing i like about the grilled chicken sandwich is the first bite. i love how juicy the chicken is but there's also the tomatoes and the lettuce and it's incredible. make sure you get it with waffle fries, because that's my favorite.

good morning. good brmorning. breaking overnight. alarming new details on the crash t ofhat 737 max plain in ethiopia. the preliminary report reporting the crew followed all of boeing's instructions but could still not control the jet. how i could impact the fleet of groued planesworldwide. damage control? members of robert mueller's team reportedly unhappy with how president trump's attorney general presented f theirdings publicly saying they are more troubling for the president than william ba. >> it's concerning. >> this morning new demands for the report's full release and swift reaction from the pr. finally