at the live desk, i'm erika gonzalez. >> thank you, erika.o air traveler wants to deal with this three days before christmas. a fire alarm went off at and go back to the security checkpoint. turns out an air conditioning unit overheated and the smoke triggered the alarm. passengers were allowed back in 90 minutes later, but they had to go through security again. >>> at the peak of the holiday shopping season, some of the best deals are out of the reach of many of us. and the reason is that they're on local military bases. military exchange stores offer tax-free price s to local military families, but an investigation by scott macfarlane and the news4 i-team revealed thieves are on the prowl there, too. >> reporter: on this day, there's no rushing and few long lines here. at the military exchange store at fort mead in maryland. >> the pressure here -- >> reporter: military veteran wi wilbert snell and his wife shop here, a benefit of military veterans. them. >> reporter: selling all these clothes, cosmetics and cameras go back to people who li

erika gonzalez spoke with one of the erika? >> leon, when you read this piece you get a really clear picture of what life is like for a lot of these families that live in langley park and have to have these daily encounters with a lot of these gang members. and, frankly, whose families have been high-jacked by them. michael miller of the post interviewed a woman whose life was turned upside down during a simple trip to the grocery store and within a few short years of that initial encounter with ms13, that same woman would lose her teenage son, murdered by the gang forly speaking out against its members. sadly, this is not a new thing, but still some things have changed. >>> has anything changed for langley park, for the people of langley park with an increased police presence? have you seen a difference between then and now? >> yeah, i think it is not at the level it was probably in the mid 2000s when you had some of those really horrific executed by ms13 in the neighborhood against, you know, walls covered in ms13 graffiti. n

erika gonzalez, news4. >> and storm team4 making sure you are ready for the privilege i had start knowp to the minute forecast in your neighborhood. open our nbc washington app. >> new year, new tax laws. in just a few days the gop tax plan will go into effect and it's already causing some confusion with a lot of people rushing to make last-minute payments, hoping to save some money before the end of the year. now the irs is out with guidance on the new law. nbc's blayne alexander joins us now to explain. blayne? >> reporter: leon, we've seen there have been so many questions about this. in fact, so much so that the irs put out a statement on its website hoping to add some clarity. of course, one of the biggest, should you pay early? it's a different answer for each person, but here's some guidance to help figure it out. tax professionals may be ringing in the new year much busier than usual. the new gop tax law means that starting in 2018, property tax deductions will be capped $10,000. before there was no limit. that includes state and local taxes. >> anybody have their checks ready?

erika gonzalez is live. erika? >> president trump calling this, quote, something really special. while top democrats are blasting it as a giveaway to corporate america and the wealthy. getting to this point included a re-do today in the house. >> without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. >> because of procedural rules, afternoon and today. the president celebrated with top republicans, publicly thanking them. >> tax cuts. >> this will indeed be a very big day when people look back at our country. it's a whole different attitude and whole different way. >> president trump and the biggest corporations make out like bandits while the middle class gets crumbs and tax hikes. >> trump administration's has moved to block with time warner which the president often calls fake news. jim and wendy? >> erika gonzalez, thank you. >>> this bill could have a huge impact on the people in our area. muriel bowser says she's concerned about what it will mean for homeowners. limiting the state and local tax deduction is going to hurt them, she says. they are allowing people

. >>> i'm erika gonzalez with breaking news.schumer now calling for al franken to step down after mounting allegations of sexual harassment. "i consider senator franken a dear friend and greatly respect his accomplishments but he has a higher obligation constituents and the senate and he should step down immediately." more than half of democratic senators have called for al franken to step down. we understood that tomorrow there would be some sort of an announcement from senator franken's office. minnesota public radio was reporting that he was preparing to resign. his office is refuting that saying that no final decision has been made. from the live desk, erika gonzalez. >>> we brought you breaking news last night here on news4 and police are telling us the boy had been at a neighbor's house when he was shot. this evening, there are a number of questions as to how that gun went off. >> news4's pat collins joins us now live from that neighborhood with the details. pat? >> concern in this neighborhood about kids and guns after an

erika gonzalez, news4. >> so we asked on facebook today if you have had the flu so far. so far, most of you say no. but take a look at this. most of the people who have had it also got theç vaccine. a m pessimistic these days. critics say president trump is helping to stoke the racial divide during his first year in office. race in american, today's talk around town, taylor thomas is joining us now. the white house is getting slammed for their response or actually we should say lack of response to any sort of observance of kiwansa. >> our viewers feel like this is a chance for president trump to extend an olive branch to the african-american community that dates back to 1966. there was nothing that came out on his personal twitter account to recognize this. some say they didn't expect t we have others of our listeners saying it's the same old thing with president trump, like aaron from temple hills. >> many of us in the african-american community have been shocked and disappointed by president trump as itel that community. i don't know if it will ever change and i feel

i'm erika gonzalez. >>> we're in alert mode to make sure you're prepared for this bitter cold. some of us will be seeing snow showers later tonight. >> doug and part of the story but let's begin with news4's derrick ward live in national harbor to show us how people are braving the elements and we know that wind can whip off the water, daerric. >> reporter: i don't think they are braving the elements. they are just staying indoors. of course, you have the christmas tree down here and the spectacular view. usually there's a good crowd down here but not tonight because of the weather. the few folks that are venturing out are hearing to dress warmly. at the st. luke catholic church community center, an annual event put on for the kids. >> i think everybody knows how cold it is, especially today. we're really feeling it. so it's great that we're able to provide them with a coat and keep them warm. >> indeed. the blustery winds have everyone bundled up. >> i have an alpaca sweater and hat here. i stay all day here outside. >> reporter: meanwhile, elsewhere these kids were here for a

good evening, email erika gonzalez. we want to get to spencer live in southeast what we are learning tonight. darcy. >> reporter: erika, i'm told this little girl was shot and wounded inside this apartment building right hiemind me. this is as close people are allowing us to the scene. it's considered private practice. good news girl is expected to be okay. let me show you some video from earlier. police were called to the building in pomeroy build southeast just after 3:00 this afternoon. found the toddler with gunshot wound to the leg. taken to the breat breathing at that time. we just got an update from a captain a short while ago. >> right now we have an individual shot in the leg. it's what we know right now non-life threatening wound. the investigation is still ongoing. we have detectives on scene. officers on scene. >> reporter: there is no word yet whether arrests have been made or whether police recovered that gun. reporting in southeast, darcy spencer, news4. >> thank you. we have more news for you now. police

i'm erika gonzalez. back to you, pat and wendy. >> where is your hat, erika?yeah. >> i know, i know, i know, i know. i swear i was better prepared yesterday. >> all right. your mother is on the phone. >> yeah, she's asking. >> thanks, erika. >> we want to you weigh in on our flash survey. if forced to choose which kind of winter weather do you prefer, so far most of you say you take snow to bitter cold and ice. head to the washington facebook page and weigh in. >> we are in the holiday pattern, lighter traffic proves that. >> you should be extra focused about crashes are up this year. >> adam tuss has sobering statistics. >> reporter: this time of year is the most deadly. younger drivers between 18 and 34, they are involved in drunk driving accidents. this time of year, nothing is guaranteed on the road. >> i'm just more alert when i'm driving. >> reporter: aaa says the period between christmas and new year's is truly one of the deadliest times to be on the road. last year at least nine fatal crashes on virginia roads over that span of a week. just this past w

, minnesota senator al franken is resigning amid allegations of sexual misconduct. >> news4's erika gonzalezhe live desk with more on the decision and what happens next. erika? >> a lot of interesting dynamics at play here and a lot of those dynamics were displayed in the senator's speech. franken was emotional yet he never really apologized for his conduct. this speech, unlike his past remarks, was more defiant. he said some of the stories were untrue and others he says he remembers differently. but in a lot of ways, this may preview the way that democrats move forward, positioning themselves as the party which will not tolerate miscct tee with his remarks about the president and alabama senate candidate roy moore. >> there is some irony in the fact that i am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the oval office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the senate with the full support of his party. >> franken is expected to formally resign in a few weeks. minnesota's governor will then take a democratic interim senat

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. jim and wendy are off. this snow is already changing a lot of people's weekend plans. >> we have team coverage this friday for you. a look at what road crews are doing to keep the roads safe. we begin our team coverage with doug kammerer and amelia draper in the storm center. how did it turn into such a big deal in such a short time? >> we were saying the ingredients were there for a big storm. they just had to come together. two days ago we were looking at a chance of light snow. yesterday we said we'd start to see accumulating snow fall in most of the area and today, yeah, it is a full fledged snowstorm in parts of the region. if it's snowing where you are right now, you are be clobbered really over the next 12 to 24 hours. >> it is going to be the areas we're seeing snow now that have the biggest kern for power outages. probably want to make a trip to the grocery store right now. elsewhere it is going to be a fun winter wonder land mayor's office i a look out there. >> in most areas. let's look at what i

. >> i'm erika gonzalez. >> new tonight jackie talked to people who knew the victims. jackie? >> reporter: jim, the courtroom was packed and it was filled with emotion. eight years in prison, at least 25 years of supervisio his release and lifetime sex offender registration. d.c. superior court judge sentenced former public teacher manual garcia to the maximum penalty available under his guilty plea. the courtroom was filled to overflowing with parents and others, many of whom wore green ribbons in a show of support for the young victims. >> it was extremely tense. pretty much the entire time the prosecution, people had given their statements. it was parents crying. so many tears. everybody was crying. >> reporter: garcia fernandez pleaded guilty to sexually abusing at least six elementary age students boys and girls at the northeast d.c. campus. prosecutors said he molested the children sometimes during games of hide and seek. his family some of whom traveled to the u.s. from spain pleaded for leniency. he apologized saying i'm ashamed of myself and am truly sorry. the school

i'm erika gonzalez. for tonight, the rain is moving out but the cold isn't too far behind it. samara theodore joins us with that. >> the rain is getting ready to move out but not before going out without a bang. right now we're seeing the heaviest rain coming down and getting ready to push through the winds are picking up. but we should start to see this quiet down overnight. straight to the radar so i could show you what i'm talking about. so right now that line of heavier showers is getting ready to move through the district. you could see it in that deep red and orange and yellow continuing to push toward the east. so in the d.c. metro you will hear the rain coming down. and then the winds picking up. so here is what you need to know. as we said through tonight and into tomorrow, dry for sunday. but by cass d-- by christmas da, we are feeling cold. snow chances taye to the north and west. a mix of sun and clouds. but i'll talk about your full christmas forecast. >> thank you. >>> switching gears now, police plan to charge a teenager with a double murder that shocked a quiet

as erika gonzalez tells us, this strain of flu is hitting more people earlier than in past years. >> the peak season is upon us. it goes from december to february. it's already on the rise. in fact, in maryland and virginia, the cdc calls it widespread. the cdc breaks down flu levels into five categories. no activity, sporadic, local, that's where d.c. is, regional and widespread. maryland and virginia are among 23 states reporting widespread flu. >> they haven't had the flu forever. my daughter tells me i'm too old. >> is the shot helping keep the flu at bay? a specialist in infectious diseases -- >> we highly recommend that everyone gets influenza vaccines. i received the vaccine several weeks ago and then developed flu-like complaints myself. >> there's already been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the flu across the u.s. double the amount this time last year. the cdc recommends everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot, especially the elderly and children. >>> from being under the weather to being so over the weather -- >> so over it indeed. if you hate cold, you need to

i'm erika gonzalez.er aing soy saturday, you are going to have to pull out the winter coat yet again as we head into christmas. our meteorologist has the details on weather that could impact your christmas eve. >> you know, we are tracking sunday. it seems as though a little of the rain/snow may come in a little earlier for your sunday eve evening. let's get to the forecast tomorrow. waking up you're find. temperatures around 40 degrees. colder tomorrow than today. we are expecting a lot more cloud coverage by the afternoon. cloudy by about 5:00 p.m. highs in the mid 40s. around that 9:00 hour, that's when we'll keep our eyes to the radar as we could see a little rain/snow shower mix. for the most part it looks like the snow chance will be north and west of the district. we're not looking at any accumulation. something to keep in mind. here's a look at what to expect for christmas. feeling very cold out there. a mix of sun and clouds. that snow chance coming in earlier. sunday night and we're going to ta

i'm erika gonzalez. now the president is changing his story about why he fired his forr michael flynn. in a tweet he suggested he knew flynn lied to the fbi. you'll remember the president later asked fbi director james comey to shut down its investigation into his former adviser. flynn is the first white house official to be charged in the investigation of russian meddling into the presidential election. meanwhile, special counsel robert mueller has removed a top fbi agent helping in the probe. the dismissal comes after reports that the agent sent anti-trump text messages. >>> and lawmakers are busy on capitol hill trying to avoid a government shutdown. house republicans unveiled a plan today to keep the lights on through december 22nd. it would buy time for bipartisan talks on a bigger budget agreement. meanwhile, president trump is spending the day fund-raising in new york city. he's calling the just-passed senate tax bill a win for the american people. nbc's chris polone has a closer look at the bill

erika gonzalez, news 4. >> doesn't matter -- there you go. with the lysol wipes. thank you.you saying about me? you come up here, you sit down and -- >> you said you weren't feeling well. i'm not taking any chances. >> may not feel as good tomorrow. it is freezing thinking about getting the shot. >> this is the kind of cold where you go outside and you feel it immediately. >> immediately. >> it doesn't take a lot of winds to produce wind chills in the single digits. that's where we are right now. look at the numbers we've got out there. first up the flag down there toward union saying. it's blowing. we get some higher gusts every once in a while, upwards of 20 miles per hour. you can see that flag blowing in the wind right now, making it feel that much colder. i mean, the wind chill right now is brutal. current temperature right now downtown, this is the number wp we're sitting at 20 degrees, winds out of the northwest at 15 miles per hour. that's a lot for this time of day. and look at the temperatures. current temperatures, these are not wind chills, these are the temperat

i'm erika gonzalez. now they are meeting to say final good buys, cohen and special agent wolf were killed last week on i 70. we are at both funerals this morning. we begin with chris gordon in rockville. chris? >> reporter: applies motorcycle escort brought the family to rockville, maryland. they are walking in to be greeted by governor larry hogan will be speaking at the funeral honoring cohen service and sacrifice. you also see the color guard made up of maryland state police as well as fire and police personnel from across the state and beyond. it's a funeral with full honors for deputy state fire marshall sandra cohen. he died in the lied of duty eye friday night. stopping to assist fbi special aenl carlos wolf both men struck along the highway and died. >> sandra was well-known across the state as a whole and part of his job as a state fire marshall. he touched the lives of a lot of different people across the state. more locally here, sandra was a local guy. grew up here and went to potomac high sc

i'm erika gonzalez. the gop tax bill passed the house again.cedural snag delayed things yesterday but this afternoon the bill has passed both houses and is ready for president trump's signature. a signing ceremony is expected to happen later this week. >>> five members of a local family are among the victims in a deadly tour bus accident in mexico. anna behar and her son david were killed. the children's grandmother was also killed in this accident. the family was on a bus carrying cruise ship passengers to the may yan ruins. >>> the last piece of the amtrak has been hauled away but investigators are still trying to figure out why it derailed on monday and why it was speeding. there's also evidence that the distracted by somebody else in the cab at the time. >>> the united states postal service is expected to ship more than 100,000 passengers in the d.c. metro area between now and christmas day and today is the deadline to mail your holiday gifts using the postal services priority mail. good luck to you. back to you guys in the studio. >> thank

. >> good morning everybody and welcome to news4 midday i'm erika gonzalez. the state department is warning americans to stay out of jerusalem today. protests there began avenues broke that president trump plans to recognize jerusalem as the israel capital. news4 tracie potts explains major change in decades old foreign policy. >> move the american embassy. >> reporter: fulfilling a campaign promise this afternoon president trump is expected to announce u.s. will recognize jerusalem as capital and eventually move our capital frl tel aviv. no comment from netanyahu in jerusalem this morning. this from turkey minister. >> it will be a grave mistake. >> reporter: also jerusalem their capital. already watching security but not talking about rex tillerson advice. comes as donald trump junior speaks behind doors to the house intelligence committee, likely about his meeting with the russian lawyer, and the deutsch bank. >>> the president not answering questions about this controversial tweet. suggests that he knew michael flynn lied to the fbi before firing the fbi

. >>> i'm erika gonzalez at the live desk.inia senator mark warner, the chair of the senate intel that are now trending on social media. the senator warning the president against the firing of special counsel robert mueller. take a listen. >> congress must make clear to the president that firing the special counsel or interfering with this investigation for issuing pardons of offensive witnesses is unacceptable and would have immediate and significant consequences. i hope my concerns are unfounded. >> firing mueller, warner added, would lead to a constitutional crisis. the president has said he has no plans to do so. back to you guys in the studio. >>> we still don't know who is in charge in the virginia house of delegates. yesterday it looked like it might be a 50-50 s recount gave shelly simonds a razor win by one over yancey. a panel of three judges agreed with the one vote and now they are in a dead heat. no word on when that will take place. republicans would hold on to power in the house by one seat, 51-49. physical simo

. >>> i'm erika gonzalez. more than 300 law enforcement agents launched a major takedown today arresting 28 people on droug and gun charges. operation panda, as it's called, began this spring and targeted gangs. right now we're going through the court documents that show they were involved in attacks and robberies. we'll continue to follow this breaking story. back to you in the studio. >> erika, thank you. >>> they are accused of smoking pot at an elementary school and two arlington county teachers are looking ahead to their trials after a court hearing today. david culver tells us where the case goes from here. >> they came in front of the judge and one had and another one told the judge he plans to get one. >> reporter: now suspended from taylor elementary school, both teachers accused of smoking pot on school grounds. a search warrant shows that an anonymous source tipped off police. a second source may have recorded the teachers as the warrant refers to experts of two men talking about how not to get caug

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. >> we begin with weather alert day. >> absolutely. snow making the way into the area. enough to make howard schools close 90 minutes early. >> meteorology sheena parveen is in the weather center. sheena, getting home this afternoon could be a trek, huh is this. >> here's the thing, i think ts more of a headache and a noi ance than anything else. our temperatures are notarizing too much. we are going to keep rising that too but we have a weather alert for the d.c. metro area and maryland. so not for everybody, just those areas. after lunchtime light snowfall developing over the area, causing low advisability. but most of those treated roads will be wet. look at the temperatures. we haven't seen much movement with these numbers. we are still below freezing at or below freezing right now. in the upper 20s. here's winter weather advisory. around d.c. and also maryland. that's why we are talking about these areas having the advisory. radar is trying to pick up on maybe some flurries but visibility looks good. by 2:00 p.m. we should start t

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. we are following breaking news at the walter reed campus on georgia avenue. >> homicide detectives are on the scene after a man was killed. news4 tells us this appears to be a fight between two workers. hi, amy. >> mel lisa, erika, learned a man killed in his 20s. so they have arrested someone so no fleet to tthreat to the publ. one of them pulled out a gun and fight ended with one worker shooting and killing the other. alleged shooter is a man in his 50s. d.c. police say they are calling him a person of interest and questioning him. >> we came across him as we were coming up. so he was readily available. he's been cooperating with us. >> now as you can see, that shooting took place compound. this is the old walter reed medical campus. so in order to be on the grounds people would need clearance. not yet clear who these people worked for. police have not yet released their identity. that is the latest. live in new york. aimee cho news4. >> aime, thank you. >> all right tracking the fi

news4's erika gonzalez explains why this year's flu is especially bad and tells you how to protect yourself >> reporter: did you get your flu shot this year? >> yes, i did. >> reporter: they say the whole family got the flu vaccine. still, their 3-year-old grandson got the flu and worse. >> he got pneumonia. >> reporter: you're kidding. are they all right? the peak season for enflew weins upon us. the cdc breaks down flu levels into five categories. no activity, sporadic, local, that's where d.c. is, regional and widespread. maryland and 23 states reporting widespread flu. >> they haven't had the flu forever, so -- my daughter told me i'm too old. >> reporter: is the shot helping keep the flu at bay? this specialist in infectious diseases. >> we still recommend that everyone gets the vaccine. i received it several weeks ago and then developed flu-like complaints myself. >> reporter: there's already been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the flu across the u.s. double the amount this time last year. the cdc recommends everyone get a flu shot, especially the elderly and the children. >> they

good morning everybody and welcome to erika gonzalez. you walk outside and it makes it much colder than it is. >> not really. so we'll have high temperatures this afternoon in the mid to upper 20s. but with even a bit of a breeze look what it does to our temperatures. feeling like 9 and 10 degrees in washington. as i said, this is one of the coldest days so far, and it's going to be a frig he hid end t year. here's your planner. 22 degrees. at least we have beautiful sunshine. the sun is deceiving as you look outdoors. if you are heading out, you definitely want to only coat, the hat and gloves, as we hit to 26 by 4:00 p.m. and skies do become cloudy not as cold tomorrow but still feeling the chill. i'll have more coming up around 11:20. >> thank you. layers are in for today, but precautions you need to take to protect your house as well. and she got the memo, has the heavy coat on this morning. how are things feeling out there, amy? >> reporter: hey, not going to lie. pretty brutal out here. so if you are heading outdoors, break out the

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. we are falling news on ts west bank. take a look at the clashes. the leader of hamas is falling for anger as president trump decision. and richard engel takes us into the streets. >> reporter: this is in response to president trump speech. palestinian are taken to the streets and using fires as smoke screen to give them some sort of protection. and we are not just seeing this where i am in the west bank, several cities in the west bank that are seeing very similar ramallah and going on for hours and perhaps a great deal longer than that. a new uprising, new way of getting their demands. they say that the peace process which they've been engaged in for decades is no longer working. they say with that speech by president trump, the u.s. has proven itself not to it be a fair mediator in the conflict. so now they are trying a different approach taking to the streets. richard engel, nbc use. >>> we also have breaking news out of d.c. double shooting, this is not far from ballou high school. the victims include one man and woman. injuries do not appear t

erika gonzalez, news >>> out of those who have had the flu, most say they got the flu shot. >>> and here'sanother good reminder for you. show you how fun life is in the wintertime. you know when you leave your car running so it warms up? don't do that. fairfax county police arrested these two guys for stealing a car a few days before christmas. the homeowner says she left it running in her driveway, didn't lock the doors and when she came back, it was out of there. officers located the car a few blocks away and took the suspects into custody. the one on the left is wearing a shirt that says "trust me." we all thought that was funny. >>> not only is car warming, warming up your car dangerous, it could also be illegal. in maryland, cars are only allowed to idle for up to five minutes unless you're stuck in traffic or have mechanical issues. in the district, gas or minutes if the temperature is below 32 degrees. there's also a hefty $1,000 fine if you idle longer. and in virginia, it only applies to public vehicles. i don't know how they enforce that. >> i see you warming up over there. >> th

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. take a look at the flag wipg in the wind. that is adding to how cold it feels outside. >> these are the temps right now. don't expect it to get above twreezing in most places. >> all right. so let's bring in meteorologist sheena parveen. so when do the winds die down? because i presume that is what is really making things feel worse? >> yeah. so later on this evening we'll see the winds lighting up. but for now guys we are looking at the wind chill in the teens. this is improvement from earlier today. this morning we had the chills, in areas close to zero. but it is still pretty frigid as you walk out the door. once the wind hits you makes all the difference right on your skin. >> so make sure you cover it up. but, yes, temperatures will be right around freezing. for daytime high we won't be winds lightning up as we go through tonight. as we go into tonight this alberta clipper coming in. right now over the great lakes but should be north of the district as we go through this evening. not looking like too much but coming up i

. >> as erika gonzalez tells us, this strain of the flu is hitting more people earlier than we've seen in past years. >>> the peak season for influenza is upon us. it goes from december to february. it's already on the rise. in fact, in maryland and virginia, the cdc calls it the cdc breaks down flu levels into five categories. no activity, sporadic, local, that's where d.c. is, regional and widespread. maryland and virginia are among 23 states reporting widespread flu. >> i haven't had the flu forever. so -- my daughter tells me i'm too old. >> is the shot helping keep the flu at bay? dr. donald chorus, specialist in infectious diseases. >> we still highly recommend that everyone get influenza vaccine. i received the vaccine several weeks ago and then developed flu-like complaints myself. >> there's already been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the flu across the u.s. double the amount this time last year. the cdc recommends everyone over the age of six months get a flu shot, especially the elderly and children. >>> from being under the weather to being so over the weather, chuck --

. >>> as news 4's erika gonzalez tells us, this strain of the flu is hitting for people earlier. >> theon us for flu. it goes from december to february. it's already on the rise. in fact, in maryland and virginia, the cdc calls it widespread. the cdc breaks down flu levels into five categories. no activity, sporadic, local, that's where d.c. is, regional and widespread. maryland snd virginia are among states reporting widespread. >> haven't had my daughter tells me i'm too old. >> is the shot helping keep the flu at bay? a doctor, specialist in infectious diseases. >> we highly recommend that everyone gets the vaccine. i received the vaccine several weeks ago and then developed flu-like complaints myself. >> there's already been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the flu across the u.s. double the amount this time last year. the cdc recommends everyone over the age of six months get a flu shot, especially the elderly and children. >>> i'm chris lawrence here at the live desk. we're following breaking news. this is coming out of kabul. we're learning that attackers stormed a shiite cultu

i'm erika gonzalez in for doreen tonight. >> i'm jim handly. first at 6:00 tonight, wherever you are going, whenever you are leaving, we are working for you tonight. this is a live look at i-270 at clarksburg road in maryland. some volume, but no major issues right now to report. >> if you're headed to the airport, get there early. security lines can be just as bad as highway traffic jams this time of year. >> and check out the live tracker. >> wow. >> flight aware.com, where is the united states? that is an what i want -- this is what it looks like when 2.7 million people are flying for the holidays. a map full of yellow birds. >> let's get to the storm center now where doug and somara are tracking everything you need to know about this holiday weekend forecast. hi, guys. >> hi, it looks like a lot of those planes are headed to florida. we have much colder air moving tomorrow if you're going to be out and about traveling tomorrow. could be a little bit of an issue. >> looks like christmas will be in the 20s, doug, can you believe that? >> next

erika gonzalez has her story from the live desk. >> hi, ahn. she made the allegation in front of a packed room. her name is m. reese everson. she claims bobby scott touched her inappropriately in 2013 and she claims he flirted with her constantly. ever son who is also an attorney said after she complained, she was fired. >> and i was black balled or blacklisted, whatever the appropriate term is. i was prevented attempted to run from a situation that was sexually inappropriate where i had been propositioned to have a sexual relationship with my boss that i did not want. >> congressman scott immediately released a statement denying the allegations. we should also note here scott was quick to react when congressman john conyers announced that he would retire from congress following his own sexual misconduct allegations in a written statement. scott said, quote, as we continue this important national discussion about sexual harassment, we must ensure that everyone is held accountable for credible allegations, end quote. ahn, jim, back to you in the

i'm erika gonzalez in for doreen tonight. >> i'm jim handly.00 tonight, wherever you are going, whenever you are leaving, we are working for you tonight. this is a live look at i-270 at clarksburg road in maryland. some volume, but no major issues right now to report. >> if you're headed to the airport, get there early. security lines can be just as bad as highway traffic jams this time of year. >> and check out the live tracker. >> wow. >> flight aware.com, where is the united states? that is an what i want -- this is what it looks like when 2.7 million people are flying for the holidays. a map full of yellow birds. >> let's get to the storm center now where doug and somara are tracking everything you need to know about this holiday weekend forecast. hi, guys. >> hi, it looks like a lot of those planes are headed to florida. we have much colder air moving

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. jim and wendy are off.ready changing a lot of people's weekend plans. >> we have team coverage this friday for you. a look at what road crews are doing to keep the roads safe. we begin our team coverage with doug kammerer and amelia draper in the storm center. how did it turn into such a big deal in such a short time? >> we were saying the ingredients were there for a big storm. they just had to come together. two days ago we were looking at a chance of light snow. yesterday we said we'd start to see accumulating snow fall in most of the area and today, yeah, it is a full fledged snowstorm in parts of the region. if it's snowing where you are right now, you are

as news4's erika gonzalez reports, everybody escaped safely. >> reporter: on one of the coldest days of the year, a 2-alarm fire has forced a family from their bell haven home. here on the 6100 block of burden terrace, you have the presence of both fairfax and alexandria firefighters up and down this block. and with the wind chill down into the teens, firefighters are wearing multiple layers to make sure they are able to still do their job. >> they also bring additional gloves and, if you will, socks and things. it things that really get cold are the extremities quickly. >> reporter: the fire is under investigation. we spoke with the homeowner. everybody was able to make it out okay, while they didn't want to be on camera, they told us a hunch leads them to believe it may have been ashes from a fireplace that started the fire. but, again, all still under investigation. in bell haven, i'm erika gonzal >> well, if you are hoping to pay your 2018 property taxes before the deduction cap kicks in, time is quickly running out. >> but will doing that payoff for you? the irs throwing a wrenc

. >> and i'm erika gonzalez. jim and wendy are off.man accused al franken of forcibly kissing her. at least half a dozen other allegations of inappropriate contact followed. >> and yesterday more than two dozen of his senate colleagues called on franken to resign. >> we have team coverage with reaction, but l senator had to say today. leon? >> erika, al franken says our country has reached a long-overdue moment. the conversation about how men's actions impact women in the spotlight. last month that conversation shifted to him. franken accused by more than half a dozen women of inappropriate physical contact. in his resignation today, franken denied some of the allegations against him but said he believes all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously. >> during my time in the senate, i have used my power to be a champion of women, and that i have earned a reputation as someone who respects the women i work alongside every day. i know there's been a very different picture of me painted over the last few weeks, but i

i'm erika gonzalez in for pat lawson muse. just take a look at i-95 tonight. it is a mess out there. i want to show you these live pictures at jessup -- excuse me, at route 32 in jessup. not the way people wanted to start the weekend. >> uh-huh. we a we are working for you with team coverage. lauryn ricketts is outside braving the elements. we're starting with doug in the storm center. doug? >> we've seen snow in all parts of the area. not just snow. you notice that is not sleet, this is gropel, snow that comes down and forms fisa round it aice around. we'll show what you we're dealing with now. currently this is starting to move away from the region. we told you yesterday this would be a quick event around noon and 5:00, 6:00, that is exactly what we're seeing, it is moving away. the area is in purple. i went to winter advisory for most of maryland. it goes till 7:00, it will trend back a little bit. the snow still seeing a little bit around the d.c. metro area, but really now into prince george's county, howard county, anne arundel county. if you're in those