join barbara harrison for christmas on embassy road, when she visits the residents of russia, norway,a and indonesia, that's tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. right here on nbc 4. >>> president-elect donald trump says he will dissolve his charitable foundation. he said he made the decision to avoid even the appearance of a possible conflict of interest once he's president. trump did not offer a timeline for when hoos foundation will shut down. the president-elect released a statement today saying the foundation contributed millions of dollars to countless worthy groups. >>> well, the redskins went into the windy city and came out an early holiday winner with a christmas gift for fans. sherry burriss was in chicago for the big win. >> reporter: a commanding 41-21 win over the bears, keeps the redskins in the playoff picture. two "todatds from thompson got off to a fast start. >> every time he threw a pass, it was like who got this one? hopefully it will carry over. >> reporter: that's brashad breeland, interceptions. guys? >> sherry, thank you very much. now if the kids are still up waiting for sa

. >>> this weekend join barbara harrison for christmas on embassy row. the "news4" special >>> welcome back. it's december 23rd. santa is heading out on his sleigh. he has a lot how do i know this? norad. they're already go. this countdown is live. this tradition began in 1955 when a child called. they want to know how things work. >> i wonder how he got the number in 1955. >> he called the phone. he had to dial a number. >> rotary. >> i guess so. >> we're tracking him. >> now santa skypes, by the way. >> all right. let e let's see if he's going to have any trouble on the roads even though he flies. >> he may come down 270. you never know. >> there's backup over the american legion bridge. it's a -- >> chimn chimn chimney. for the few folks heading out getting to the metro or the bus or uber, temperatures near 30 this morning. it's a cold start. won't be a bad day today. temperatures will be up near around 50 degrees later on this afternoon, so you'll need yr warm hat early this morning. maybe a fashionable scarf and hat. that's about it. we're going to

barbara harrison tells us about rain drop surgery. >>> most of the words are fuzzy. if i had my reading glasses, i could read it. >> reporter: she is describing a situation known as over blurred close-up vision. people begin to experience it some time around their 40th birthday. newspaper and magazine articles get harder to read and instructions like those on the back of a medicine bottle are almost impossible. >> there is no way i can read it. that is a larger fonlt, i can't read it. >> reporter: she came to this house in washington because her husband recently got surgery theer correct his distance vision. she was hoping they might have something to fix her problem, too. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: the doctor found her vision to be correctible with the right lens. but jennifer said she had tried contact lens but they didn't work for her. >> i have very dry eyes. so for me contact lenses are not an option. >> reporter: dr. rose told her she was in luck because the fda just recently approved something called rain drop surgery. similar to lacic but for correcting

i'm barbara harrison.

barbara harrison got a chance to watch as a renowned laser surgeon performed the procedure yesterday. the procedure is called your close-up vision. today barbara talked to a local ophthalmologist about who is the best candidate for getting it done. >> there is a safe procedure for almost everybody. they have to be screened appropriately and counciled based on their individual needs. >> yesterday the doctor performed the procedure on a patient who happens to be a dentist. she was reading within minutes of the procedure. today, she's back >> until now, we really haven't had anything that could do this within one day of someone turning around and being able to read and function and go back to take care of teeth. >> you can see the full interview at nbc washington.com. >> in other medical news a new study shows life expectancy is the lowest it's been in over 20 years. the national center for health expected to live just over 78 years on average. that's about 1/10 of a drop since 2014. the average age for men is 76. for women, 81. although the top reasons for death remain heart disease and

. >>> good morning, and thanks for joining us for "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison.

. >> barbara harrison has look at how panama's embassy marks the holiday season. >> on a dark and cold december evening in the nation's capital, lamp light helps lead the way to one of washington's warmest diplomatic residents. his wife. >> the warmth is in their welcome. and their relaxed spirit is a charming introduction to life in the country they represent. >> waiting for us at the top of the stairs, beautiful crystal sugar rimmed glass of a delicious eggnog. >> wow. >> it's a treasured recipe served ice cold on where in panama the temperatures in december hit close to 90 degrees in daytime. >> let me show you the christmas tree. >> it's very much like u.s. tradition. >> american influence began with the building of the panama canal. americans are not the only immigrants they have shaped the culture and crist ma traditions in that country. on this narrow separates two continents that bridges the great divide. people have come from everywhere. >> it's really a mixture of races. a melng >> and from that melting pot comes a very unique holiday cuisine. the ambassador invited to come t

. >> news4's barbara harrison has a look at how they ♪ >> reporter: the lights of the holiday seasonurn brightly in this mansion along busy massachusetts avenue, also known as embassy row here in washington. on this cold night in december, as in every season, a hand waves in welcoming friendship from the bronze statute of norway. she was the mother of a current king. above the norwegian flag, it represents the country's peace, strength and loyalty. well, good evening. great to see you. >> good evening. >> reporter: thank you. >> welcome to the norwegian embassy. >> reporter: such a beautiful place. norway's ambassador welcomed me to the embassy residence with a hand-folded paper pinwheel stars are a tradition in norway. and the green globes of moss but often find a prominent place among the other seasonal decorations. another favorite, an orange that becomes anned a eve advent cale. the 24th, he says, is the most important day of the holiday season in norway and it all begins here. >> barbara, let me introduce you to my chef. >> reporter: this chef was busy preparing for the holiday

i'm barbara harrison. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. >> we have the rain coming down in the metro area and our temperatures are cold, above freezing, so you need to layer up if you're heading out. need an umbrella. getting light to moderate rain, this dark green zone, northwest washington into montgomery county, northernin county and moderate rain here just about to come into fairfax county, into loudoun county, out of prince william and in southern maryland, too, getting moderate rain. all of this advancing to the north. heavy rain, this one band of yellow this is just right now near charlottesville on a track to get closer to the metro area later on this afternoon. i've got new hour-by-hour timing on when the heaviest rain will be arriving and when it's going for the weekend in just a you few minutes. >> you thank you, tom. right now d.c. mayor muriel bowser is inside trump tower meeting with the president-elect. mark segraves is live. good morning, mark. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. mayo

i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm eun yang. melissa mollet has more about a deputy that was struck by a car. >> a sheriff deputy was hit while trying to help another driver early this morning. he was helping a vehicle when mattingly drove by and hit that disabled vehicle which then hit the deputy. this is according to the st. mary's sheriff's office. mattingly was then charged with dui. the deputy was able to push the other driver out of the way and he's being treated for a serious but nonlife-threatening injury. barbara? patrol car was hit in waldorf. a female driver was arrested for dui and the tow truck called to clear the crash was arrested for dui. when he arrived, officers detected signs of impairment. the two troopers are expected to be okay. >>> meanwhile, we are waiting to learn the name of a person killed in frederick county, maryland. a tractor-trailer and another car crashed on southbound 2 the ramp wasn't totally shut down but the crash called miles of delays. >>> there is a water main break near route 29 and there

. >>> first lady michelle obama keeping up a holiday tradition that dates back barbara harrison has more on the first lady's final visit doing this. it is a tradition and it's a tradition that the children really look forward to every year. >> this tradition goes back longer than you and i have been in town. this dates back some 60 years back to truman. they ran a christmas story to the kids and they had a chance to ask the first lay u day anything they wanted. one child wanted to know if they ever worked together at the white house. >> one of the things we worked together is not just me and the president, but the vice president joe biden and his wife. e military families. we do a lot of events like that together. and it's fun having your husband hanging around with you all day. great questions, guys. >> one child also wanted to know what the first lay u day got president obama for christmas. mrs. obama wasn't giving anything away, but did say one gift had to do with music. the other had to do with sports. everyone had had a great time out there. very special event for the kids at christ

. >>> good morning, and thanks for joining us for "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. want to check in with storm team 4 meteorologist lauryn ricketts on this beautiful friday afternoon. >> awe fridays are beautiful, huh? >> yes, barbara, 1,000% right on that one. we finally made it it is friday and it is a gorgeous one as you guys were saying. look at it out there, just absolutely beautiful. clear skies, and we do have some portions of our area that have a few more clouds. but all in all, not a lot to complain about. maybe you're complaining about the wind. that's about it. i went ahead with a mix of sun and clouds only because we do have some folks that are seeing a little bit of cloud cover. but that's the wind, cutting right through you, making it feel like we're in the 40s. as we continue through the day, the temperatures are going to rise, we'll be in the mid 50s in some spots throughout the afternoon. once the sun goes down we start to drop. the winds will stay with us overnight it looks like it will be a brisk and blustery day for your saturday. could we have an

. >> news4's barbara harrison has a look at how russia's embassy marks the holiday season. >>> the flages above this elegant french beaux-art style fashion mansion built in 1910. it's been since 1913, first the the ambassador of russia to the united states. ♪ ♪ >> ambassador, so nice to see you. >> i was welcomed by ambassador sergei kiziak. >> what a beautiful mansion. go we like it also. >> on the elegant marble staircase, a serenade welcome awaited us. >> these are kids from the russian embassy school. >> spasibo, wonderful. >> thank you very much. >> oh my. >> on the second floor, an expansive landing leads to the grand salon. decorated for the holidays, the star atop the tree doing its best to outshine the mouldings and corinthian columns. >> beautiful, breathtaking. >> and in russia it's not exactly the christmas tree, we call it yulka, russian for pine tree, it has become more or less secular symbol. to all christians, it's a christmas tree. for nonchristians it's a new year tree. >> a new year tree. >> he said the traditions around the tree are similar to those around the world.

. >>> and thanks for joining us for "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm aaron gilchrest. let's get first a check on the with a look at what's to come on this chilly day. amelia? >> well aaron, we're talking about highs in the mid to upper 40s. here's a look at storm team 4 radar. still plenty of clouds across the area. the white is clouds, not snow or rain. but notice up around frederick in northern loudoun county, back into the panhandle of west virginia. we so a little more green. what that is is clearing. and that trend will be moving into the d.c. metro area this afternoon. during the mid afternoon hours, not too bad out december. right now, kind of chilly, we're still in the 40s. the district, one of the warmer spots at 47. you can see the suburbs in the low to mid 40s. and highs today near 50 degrees. once the sun comes out, we'll see our temperatures start to come up. we're going to hover around 48 degrees from about 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. after that we start to cool off around 44 at 5:00 p.m. and by 7:00 p.m. low 40s and the clouds start to going to be walking you thro

we' this morning barbara harrison shows us how panama celebrates. ♪ >> on a dark and cold december eveningn the nation's capital, lamp light helps lead the way to one of washington's warmest diplomatic residencies. the tudor style mansion home to the ambassador of panama and his wife. >> hi. >> good to see you. >> welcome. >> nice to see you. welcome. >> reporter: the warmth of panama is in their welcome. and their relaxed spirit is a charming introduction to life in the country they represent. >> so beautiful. >> thank you. welcome. >> reporter: waiting for us at the top of the stairs, beautiful crystal sugar-rimmed glasses of a delicious panamanian eggnog. >> very good. >> wow. >> reporter: a treasured recipe served ice cold on christmas eve whe in december can hit close to 90 degrees in daytime. >> let me show you our christmas tree. >> reporter: while evergreens are not native to their country, the ambassador says most homes in panama will have them at christmas. he says most of the christmas trees in his country are imported from the u.s., as are many of the holiday customs. >> the wa

i'm barbara harrison. with meteorologist amelia draper with a check of the forecast. >> it's cold out there. so many people weighing in and saying it's freezing outside. it's not actually freezing. but when you factor in the winds, that is how it's feeling right now. we're at 37 degrees. and look at the winds, coming out of the northwest at about 18 miles per hour. so when you add in the winds, this is how cold it's feeling right now. feeling like we're in the 20s across the area. about 27 in washington, 22 in frederick and o 19 degrees back in winchester. the good news, we have plenty of sunshine in the forecast and we will keep it mainly dry today. but look at how it's going to feel at 8:00 p.m. this evening. a as you head out to dinner or holiday parties, feels like temperatures in the 20s. so make sure you bundle up. i'll be walking through your saturday, hour by hour and letting you know how cold it's going to be tomorrow. >>> thanks amelia. >>> i'm melissa mollet at the says metro is making headway w

. >> and i'm barbara harrison. d.c. fire crews want to know iowa avenue in northwest d.c. but they're having problems getting access to that house. news4's derrick ward is live from the scene in petworth to explain why. good morning, derrick. >> good morning, well you just take a look at this, you can see the fire started of the house on the far end there. and it was vacant. under renovation. now the house next door, eight people got out of there okay. but they got to find someplace else to stay for a while. it's this one is completely uninhabitable. it's gutted. they can't get in there to search to see if there was anyone inside and exactly why this fire started. they've got a lot of work on their hands. take a look. >> flames were engulfing this home on iowa avenue northwest just before dawn before anyone had dialed 911. >> ambulance 24 was hurricaning to the firehouse, they noticed this fire. it was becoming evident to the people next door that they were in danger. they smelled smoke. >> my wife said hey, something's burning. we got up and checked, when i turned on the

. >>> and thanks for joining us for "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm aaron gilchrest. let's get first a check on the

today news4's barbara harrison visits the residents of, indonesia. >> it's hard to miss the imposingthat ceremonially stands guard at the entrance to the residence of the ambassador of indonesia to the united states. the sprawling tudor mansion is lit for christmas and on this night they're preparing to celebrate the holiday with friends and countrymen of many faiths. that come from the world's largest island nation. >> hello, welcome. >> the ambassadornd and son were at the door to greet their visitors. >> beautiful, beautiful home. >> inside the large entertaining room, a giant evergreen is decorated with figures. masks and other hand-made crafts. representing the many different islands that are part of the republic of indonesia. >> 17,668 islands. imagine if you want to stay one night in every island. how long you have to spend. >> situated between the indian and pacific oceans, indonesia is a unitary sovereign state. although spread among many islands, its 250 million people make it the fourth most populated country on earth. >> 450 million people and they all speak the indonesia

. >>> good morning to "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. >> and him chris lawrence, all the red that you're seeing a sure sign that christmas son the way. what are we looking at in terms of the weekend? >> good news for your trips out and about for today. now tomorrow may be a little different story as clouds will thicken up later on today and rain chances will be back in on us by early tomorrow morning. for now it's a pleasant enough day to be outside, a fair amount of su clouds will gradually increase over the course of the afternoon. temperaturewise we've made it up to the low 40s for most areas. 42 at dulles airport. 40 degrees in fredericksburg, 37 degrees in winchester, as you're planning out the remainder of the your christmas eve eve forecast. sunshine through the middle of the afternoon. temperatures upper 40s to near 50 for a time this afternoon and then drifting back to the upper 30s to around 40. showers likely to move in after midnight, i'll time it out through saturday coming up. >>> major breaking news, the man accused of driving a truck into a crowded christmas market

. >>> good morning, welcome to "news4 midday," i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm erika temperatures so low,er in there was liquid, ice quickly formed. the icy roads caused by a water main break, but tonight the slick conditions could come from a wintry mix. so we want to start our coverage with storm team 4 meteorologist lauryn ricketts. >> wintry mix definitely right. you know erika, temperatures, 24 right now. that is it. we've got plenty of clouds, so we may have to bump off, shave a few degrees off the daytime high. still below freezing as we continue into the afternoon. due to the cloud cover. but boy, is it chilly this morning with a lot of places reporting temperatures in the single digits. in fact dulles airport, broke a record from 1989. they made it to 9 degrees today. the old record in '89? 10 degrees. you can see the radar right now, nothing going on. it may look like a little bit of snow in the shenandoah valley. it'so evaporating before it hits the ground. a little bit of lake-effect snow, that's not what we're going to see overnight tonight. we're going to sleet and free

. >> barbara harrison, news 4, washington. >> all right, susan, you can look again. >> i can't see anything. >> that worked. >> that's cool. i mean, i'll tell you, i cannot read. >> everyday, it is getting worst for me. you saw how sheen cou could rea >>> an event today that brought together wrestling superstars and wounded warriors. >>> plus, storm team 4 with stronger is blasting without risking her bones. stronger is less pain, new hope, more fight. it's doing everything in your power, and everything in ours. because we don't just want kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger. and with your support, they will. make a gift today at childrensnational.org/givenow >>> temperatures today in the 40s, last year it, we set a record high temperature of 71 degrees. now, we're not anywhere near there. it doesn't feel like christmas last year. take a look at this shot tis out of the great falls area, the firehouse over in great falls. the firemen did a great job decorating this house, ri

. >> i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm eun yang. everybody is getting ready for changes. the cold arrives first. saturday, we could see a mix of ice and snow. road crews are getting ready. ddot has already started anti-icing treatments. more from storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. hi, tom. >> only hours away now. a live view on capitol hill. we're basking in sunshine. enjoy this while you can. big changes are on the way. temperatures already up to 44 at reagan national, low to mid-40s around the chesapeake bay. it's hovering in the low 40s as well in the shenandoah valley. the cold air is still pretty far away from us. it will begin to move in. hour by hour temperatures for the rest of the afternoon, we'll be hovering in the mid- to briefly upper 40s by 3:00. then it starts to drop by, by 6:00 back do then by dawn tomorrow, we'll be down into the 20s with windchills near 10 degrees. i've got the timing for snow for the weekend. that's coming up in a few minutes. >> all right, tom. can't wait to hear that. >>> we now know a teenager was killed in a terrible crash on i

barbara harrison is here to tell us more about a story reported exclusively on the nbc washington app. barbara? >> this is a frit interesting story, chris. you know, every four years for the last 20 years, at least one d.c. public school marching band has participated in the big inauguration day parade here in washington, but according to school officials here in washington, none even applied for consideration this year. if you'll remember, belew high school's majestic marching knights performed in president obama's second inaugural parade in 2013. they had also marched in 2005 when george w. bush took office a second time. but the principal says the band decided to take a break this january and did not apply to play. and the principal of dunbar high school's band which has also marched before said that school plans to sit this one out, too. the reason they gave, because they're in the midst of reui howard university's band has marched before, too, and this year, they didn't apply, either. their band director said it was due to budget constraints. applications to participate in the pa

join barbara harrison for christmas on embassy row saturday at 11:30 and christmas morning at 9:00. >> my daughter said i want you to live. >> a mother fighting for her life getting a holiday surprise from her community. coming p, all neuw >>> there's a push to limit children's screen time, not just at home, but in the classroom. >> lacy griffith of our sister station in baltimore has more on the legislation and the big name behind it. >> a group gathered here at rams head onstage in annapolis, the reason is to push a proposed bill to create medical guidelines for the safe use of digital devices in maryland classrooms. leading the change, a maryland mom and a big-name comedian. paula poundstone stepped onstage to express why putting restrictions on how much screen time kids get in school is important for her family. her family has had issues with addiction. >> if you say it's time to get stop now, these rages were just unbelievable. i have holes in every wall in my house. >> poundstone advocates for classroom screen safety in her home state of california. >> i would try to bargain wit