likes. it's almost impossible to believe what people come up with these days. >> my goodness. first thing this morning, we are in storm team 4 weather alert mode ahead of severe storms heading our way. good morning, everyone, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm molette green. eun yang is off, getting an early start on the holiday weekend. if you're headed outside now, you probably wouldn't suspect what's to come this aft'snoon. that why you need to make sure you pack the umbrella for later on. >> storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bel is here to fillus in, and we'll chei in w melissa mollet in first 4 traffic. what do we need to know? what you need to know, there's an increasing chance for strong to severe thunderstorms later on in the afternoon today as is typically the case thise tim year. it's that afternoon chance that we're concerned with. so four things to know about the next four days, the strong thunderstorm threat later today, peak timing for this is robably between 4:00 and 6:00 in and

around the capital beltway. could really snarl the getaway trfic. for tomorrow, mild and breezy, and really nice weather for friday and saturday. sunday, a little touch of sumr humidity coming. there's the line of storms this morning moving into places like indianapolis, we had a couple of thunderstorms here in central pennsylvania this morning. quiet weather for now. temperatures in the 50s to around 60 degrees. it will be toaster y -- toasty warm and breezy. 87, a far try from the 73 yesterday. the rain chance increasing to 60%. damaging winds are real possibility. not everyone's going to get rained on, but the storms that do occur could really pack a punch. all right. good to know. taking a looker loop at river road. we have report of a crash on the right side. i'm wondering if they flipped the camera and we're seeing it here. i'm not seeing too much of a slowdown at this point or any big problems.

beltwa beltway, we have roadwork but nothing in the way. rockville, three lanes blocked due to theilling project. i hit it on the way home every day. it's bumpy through there. braddock through pickwick, downed poles and wires. closures, 66, 95 in virginia looking nice and open. aaron? 4:32. hitting theighway forhe memorial day weekend, you don't want to let unexpected traffic slow you down on the road to your vacation. >> today drivers in our area could see travel times triple as holiday travelh mixed w commuters on the roads. aaa says the absolute worst time to hit the road today in our area ibetween 4:45 and 6:00 p.m. if you're traveling over the chesapeake bay bridge, leave before 10:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. tonight. traffic will be 54% worse on i-270 northbound today, around 6:00 p.m.

we caught up with some commuters at the gas station yesterday preparing for the holiday weekend. >>his is my first year owning a boat. i will have it for memorial weekend. i imagine if it's going to eat, $400, $450. >> geez. >> before hitting the road, aaa advises you pack a cell phone it charger, toolkwater, snacks, and be nice. and on the serious side, the virginia dmv reminding drivers not to drive drunk. in 2018, there were 278 lcohol-related fatalities on the roads in thewe commonalth. we're staying on top of breaking news out of moisesmthis ning. at least -- out of missouri this morning. at least three confirmed deaths in golden city after two powerful tornadoes hit overnight. the national weather servicesa a violent tornado touched j down fferson city.

>> the midwest has been dealing with severe weather for days. you're looking at the latest oklahoma.video from one driver has died there. flooding has been a big problem with this sorm system impacting a few states. we're learning new dtails about a longtime u.s. senate staffer who died following a violent assault in the district. police say th have beenble to identify the people involved in the dispute. bernard bud johnson iii died after getting into an altercation steps from nats park. he was in an argument with a group outside the scarlet oak restaurant and bar last wednesdanight. they say someone hit him in the head causing a serious injury. on sunday, johnson'sk family too him off life support. detectives are waiting for a report from the medical examiner's office before they call his death ami hode. >> it appears that there may have been a crime committed. we're just waiting for an official ruling. we have done a pretty good job already on the investigation to identify all the parties that are d.involve

so i'm confident we'll get to the bottom of it. >> johnson worked as a senate staff member for three decades. >>e prince george's county department of corrections is defending itself after a bombshell report from immigration agents. i.c.e. is aming the detention center for releasing two suspected ms-13 gang members now accused ofil kng a 14-year-old girl in. officials say that's not what happened. jose fuentes ponce and joel escobar were arrested last year for attemptedmurder. i.c.e. says they will release -- they were released despite an i.c.e. detainer. a judge said it was against the law to do anything other than release the teens. i.c.e. detainment requests are civil requests and not actual warrants. >> warrants will hold you as long as we can. and that's what we've told i.c.e. in the past.if they really want somebody, get us a warrant, and we'll hold them for them. >> in a statement i.c.e. said, quote, these individuals had ra

demonstd violent criminal behavior before, and because they were released in spite of the lawful detainer, they were afforded an opportunity to take alife. detectives will return this morning to a park in fairfax county where they spent hours yesterday searching for a body. overnight we learned officers did not find anything in nor hill park. fairfax county police say crews will return today to the woods near the mt. vernon square apartment complexin and cont their search. we'll check in with police throughout the day and bring you developments on air and in the nbc washington app.s a veteranfairs employee is accused of planting two hidden cameras in a women's restroom. investigators say alex greenlee secretly recorded four women in the building in chinatown. greenlee denies the charges, but investigators say they have video of himhe planting t cameras. president trump says he will not work with democrats until they stop all investigations volving him and his administration. he abruptly walked out of an

infrastructure meetingth democratic leaders at the white house yesterday. house speaker nancy pelosi accused the president of engaging in a cover-up. more coming up at 4:45. an investigation into the racist photo that appeared on virginia governor ralph northam's medical school arbook page is inconclusive. lawyers were unable to identify the people in the photo published in1984. northam said, quote, i am notin the racist and oensive photo. you can read the full 36-page report in the nbc washington app.a nd alexandria officials are trying to help people cpe with metro's upcoming summe shutdown. passengers talked about possible work-arounds at an open house yesterday. free shuttle buses will be provided at metro rail stations that are closed south of reagan national rport on the blue and yellow lines. the shutdown starts on saturday and will last until september. is our time 4:37. coming up, unusual sightings in

the potomac river. lphins spotted swimming in our local water. where they've been seen and how u can help name our new neighbors. >> first, more o the man whose pledge to police is going viral. a promise to turn himself in if his photo is liked enough times on facebo. ♪

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back now at 4:41, and we are that's ave a story getting a lot of attention on line this morning. a man wanted by police in connecticut made an unusual request -- jose simms said he would turn himself in if his mug shot received enough likes on the department's facebook page. simms offered himself up to the toupong ton ce department for 20,000 likes. simms eventually agreed to 15,000 instead because there was a back and forth on this. >> my goodness. >> overnight, the number of likes ended up passing his original request. this morning, though, he is still on the run. it's uikely that he'll turn himself in. among the reasons he's wanted -- he failed to appear in court seven times the charges he faces range from risk of injury to a child to miuse of 911. >> so he's, you know, dishones why would we believe him? >> lots of issues going on there. okay. bizarre. another man making headlinei

for connng a georgia woman out of $80,000 is wanted for simir crimes in this area. >> police say john martin hill targeted women in virginia, maryland, and two other states. hill was arrested tuesday in tennessee. detectives say he met a woman on give.com, convinced her to him $80,000 to buy a home. then he vanished. he's wanted forimilar crimes in delaware. schemes in delaware, new jersey, maryland, and virginia. now police say he'll change his name more than five times in 2.5 years. i guess avu would h to to pull off all of these schemes. >> shady. i don't know if i understand that. why would you give somebody $80,000? well, yeah. >> a lot happening there. >> we should move on. 4:42. just t c weather,uck -- >> trying to get out of that bear trap there. all right. what do you need to know about your memorial weekend? it's going to be nice and warm. bordering onidot and hum

before that, we have to get

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he's known as the american taliban, and he's moving to gi northern via. we're talking about john walker lindh. he's set to bea red from prison today after serving 17 years on a 20-year terrorism conviction. now lindh was captured fighting alongside the taliban months after the 9/11 attacks. he pleaded guilty to supporting the taliban. records show he continued to advocate for jihad from prison. nbc news has learned exclusivel thaan internal memo said lindh is a committed jihadist. once released, the fbi will monitor all of his internet activity, and he's only allowed to communicate on line in english. there are other restrictions, as well. in new jersey, a man is in jail for threatening to attack pro-israel supporters. 20-ynar-old jothan c hi was in federal courtthednesday. auities say he posted threats on instagram threatening to shoot jewish people at marches for israel.

they also say he scoped out trump tower, threatening to bomb the uilding. despite the threats, police say he had no specific plans. tenses between presiden trump and congressional democrats intensify. >> the president says he will not work with democrats until the invesgations into him and his administration end. >> this comes in response to house speaker nancy pelosi accusing president trump. a cover-up. news4's craig boswell has the latest on the war of words.od go morning. >> reporter: good morning. yeah, a real clash at the white house.rd remember yesteay about this time we were tlking about this previously scheduled meeting between presidentrump and the nation's top two democrats about infrastructure. the president stormed out of that meeting, walked right into the rose garden, and vowed not to work with democrats until they stop the investigations. the president's anger boiled over after house speaker nancy pelosi made public statements

after a private meeting with house democrats, a closed door meeting, about impeachment where she said the president is engaging in a cover-up.tw these o sides have been on a collision ourse for a long time. guys, these investigations are not going to end any time soon. in fact, a judge has ordered that two banks now turn over financial documents to a pair of house committees. that's the second ruling ainst the president this week. earlier this week, a federal judge ordered that seven years of financial documents be turned over to the house committees. the dust is still settling here in washington and may be kicked up again today. back toou. >> all right. thank you so much. 4:48. the tragicdeath of a stafford county high school student is sparking safety changes at a local roadway. helen wang was killed in a car crash about a week ago. she was turning from the able lake boat ramp to kellogg mill road when a truck collided with her car. stafford's board of supervisors voted to shut down the popularam boat rand parking lot until safety changes are made.

the decision came after students delivered a passionate and emotional plea. >> i am thankful that we are having this conversation, but i am disappointed that it's happening underhese conditions. >> i would be willing to even go out myself and clear t vegetation. i just think something has to be done before another one of our friends is taken too soon. >> helen died in thatrash on her 17thay birt her friends say there are other roadway safety changes in the county they want to see done, as well. this weekendarks the summer al start to t travel season. but hundreds of planes remain grounded. today global aviation regulators ow to get discuss boeing 737 max aircraft back in the skies. the planes are operated by more than 40 airlines including american airlines. in an exclusive interview with lester holt, the ceo talked about the challenges of flying the max again.

>> how do you convince a skittish passengers that looks and says, my goodness, my flight's going to be a max. ai we need to have the airplane be deemed worthy, be back in service. have american airlines pilots flying. i know that if that's the case, the airplane's 100% safe. >> boeing is waiting for faa approval to fix the software inside the plane after two deadly crashes. now to a sign of the health of the potomac river. dolphins have been spotted in the river. it's becoming more common apparently. more than 1,000 have been spotted over the last several years. these creatures usually swim from the atlantic, riding the waves from theto chesapeake i the potomac. scientists are trying to determine whether their increased presence in the potomac is a signhat the river continues to improve. >> actually, forgot that dolphins were sein the river. they weren't seen since the

1880s much because the river was in poor condition, peep weren't seeing them. >> dolphin, not a shark. i always thought the shark fins looked more like that -- t porpoise, sharks don't -- >> you can help name two dolphins. look for that in the nbc washington app. >> they going to put the geotrackers on them? >> they may. i don't know. >> they did that with the great white sharks. the ones spotted in long island sound. been geracked allver the atlantic. we could put them on these guys. >> pretty cool. >> i hae to think of the hundreds of hours i spent on or around the potomac river, i'm never seen one. >> i've seen a lot of things there but not dolphins. be nice to see a dolphin. >> for a change. >> don't know what part of the river you' hanging out on, molette. it is going to be a storm team 4 weather alert day this oo aftern a real possibility of stronger thunderstorms coming into the area just in time for the evening commute. the threat is coming from the

midwest. there's been overnight thunderstorms here in central and eastern parts of pennsylnia just up to our north. there will be a higher risk for severe weather today, the farther north you live travel. hire chances for severe weather today in northern maryland. slightly lower chances down towardouthern maryland. here's where the line is now moving into the greater indianapolis area. that's the weather front that will be arriving here just during the t peak ofhe afternoon getaway time. theea severe wther threat marginal south of ur fredericksbg. most of the immediate d.c. areau and sthern suburbs under a slight risk. the northern suburbs into southern ennsylvania, an enhanced risk for severe weather today. let me show you future weather to help plan this out. not a big rain chance before lunchtime today. in fact, there should be more than enough sunshine for quite a warmup. temperatures hopping up into the mid to upper 80s today. once we get past 1:00, 2:00 in the afternoon, thunderstorms develop in the shenandoah . valley here's 3:00 on future weather.

thunderstorms possible into parts of fauquier county and manassas area thre. then right during the 3:00 to 5:00 or 5:30 time frame, that line of storms likely to come right through the i-95 corridor. that could snarl the getaway eather. and that progresses eastward to the eastern shore. forecast.e ten-day once we get past today, it's smooth sailing for your friday and most of your holiday weekend. it's going to feel like summer, though, near 90 on sunday. the rain chances are f delightully low for the long holiday weekend. >> i do like that. thank you. outer loop here at river again, on the shoulder. you don't have to worry too much. it is not slowing things through that section of the beltway. inner t of the beltway, loop, outer loop, looking good. that's a very good thing given that this afternoon, this evening, not going to be so pr ty. manassas southbound dumfries road after prince william parkway, left lane getting bycr that sh. looks like that's going to clear out of the way very soon. centreville, braddock at

pickwick, a downed pole and rare. 66, 95, ove looking pretty good. 95 in maryland, 32 to the beltway. going to take you 67 miles per hour. going to drive 67 mles per hour and take you, excuse me, minutes. aaron? >> thank you. 4:54 rig now. now you can buy cbd products almost anywhere. many claim the hemp extract offers medical benefits without getting you high. the news4 i-team found the cannabis cousin could also get you into trouble. investigative reporter jodie fleischer found popular police field tests can't tell the e differenceeen cbd and marijuana. i wasn't worried about it at all. i was confident in the product. >> reporter: that confidence was tested hen d.c. policeraided a party where michael was selling cbd and placed samples of his products intoos di field tests like these. what did you think when the test turned positive? >> i was shocked. >> reporr: the tests are designed to be a cheap and easy

way for officers to test for a. marijuan if the chemicals inside turn purple, it's considered a positive result. the i-team put the fieldest cal police use to the test with samples of cbd products l marketed withow or no thc. the field test only looked for cannabinoids psent in marijuana and cbd. >> it's not a surprise. the test is desig to t ed ted t. >> reporter: the few cases that go to court first get verified in the lab. virginia just changed its marijuana law to allow hemp products with trace amounts of thc, but the i-team found even the state labs can't tell h much thc is in most pr ucts. >> we are working on getting am thod up and running for that particular analysis. >> reporter: coming up tonight on news4 at 6:00, see the impact these testing failures are having on criminal cases. plus, o at you need tow before you buy the popular products.

jodie fleischer, near i-team. lyft is taking new steps tou make you're safe when you order a ride.es ee changnclude a new panic button formergencies in the app. it wll also increase the visibility of your driver's license plate -- your driver's license plate in the app to help getting into u're the right vehicle. lyft plns to provide sexual harassment prevention education for drivers and customers later this year. uber already has an emergencyb ton in its app. new video this morning of a pretty c tl wayo celebrate a big birthday. longtime orioles fan mary enlow threw out the first pitch to ring in her 100th birthday. mary's been a fan since the team came to baltimore in 1954. she watches al the games. it's fitting that she was abl to begin last night especially sie it was against the yankees. you know, the orioles lost 7. >> that will be a great memory for her andfa her mily.

>> goodness -- >> for years to come, right? >> so special. >> how cool isthat? looking good there. it's 5:54 -- 4:57. coming up, metro's shutdown of the rails is coming this itweekend. >> 's coming. we'll get you ready. how a local city is planning on helping those who will be impacted. plus, going above and . beyond a local firefighter helps an expectant mother give birth. ♪

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ready, set, travel. o millions plann hitting the open road ahead of the holiday weekend. we have the tips and routes to keep in mind to avoid a traffic nightmare. a dising story still developing this morning. a young man arrested and accused of hiding microcameras in the wo men's stram at the department of veterans affairs. what he had to say for himself when he wasconfronted. back yard grilling can be delicious, but itlso be dangerous. our summer safety series continhis. the four ts to know before firing up the grill. my can't wait for husband to fire up the grill this weekend. not me. >> that chicken looked so good. >> him. >> tellme what time to be okay. >> okay.od go morning, everyone, 5:00 a.m. i'm aaron gilchst. >> i'm molette green in for eun yang.