meagan fitzgerald looks at what they hope to accomplish. >> reporter: from large crowds in dupont circle -- ♪ >> reporter: -- to malcolm x park, mayday protesters made sure their messages were heard. they want the trump administration to stop deporting undocumented immigrants that don't have criminal records. >> to fight for humanity, fight for the injustice that they are going through. especially with the new presidential regime. >> reporter: there were rolling street closures as demonstrators made their way down 16th and on to u street as they marched towards lafayette park. ♪ >> reporter: once the crowd arrived, chants grew louder and they were met by notable speakers like tom perez and members of congress. >> i want to make sure gets the message that we don't support his politics or agenda. >> reporter: opponents say they are wasting their time and that they need to accept the fact that trump won the election. but activists believe these demonstrations will inspire people to get out and vote. >> i'm here because martin luther king march. i'm here because rosa parks sat down. i'm here

. >> meagan fitzgerald has the uplifting story of a mother of three who went from living on the streets to earning her master's. >> just need to keep our family strong. >> reporter: like most petrina williams has wanted to be the best example and motivator for her kids. >> if you see it, you believe it, and you can achieve it. >> reporter: it's a lesson she hearned at a young age. >> i graduated from high school, 16, went to cellman college. >> reporter: so there's no surprise that education in her household is a top priority. >> i have all as and bs, but i'm bringing them up. >> reporter: she's the reason why both her sons are on the honor roll. >> she always encouraged me to be the best. >> reporter: when she was 32 years old, everything changed. heroin and crack cocaine became her addiction. she spent more than two years in prison and was close to losing it all. >> i became homeless, hopeless. >> reporter: but it was her children who inspired her to defy the odds. >> i made a and that was -- clearly that was the journey that i was to take in order to be who you see before you today.

. >> spike lee is executive producing the film, and meagan fitzgerald shows us how his career is reallyo take off. >> the first play i've ever seen, and i fell in love with it. >> reporter: movies and productions have been andrew long's passion for as long as he can remember. >> just by watching movies, and i didn't know that was something i could do for a living. >> reporter: that was until he came to howard university. this is where his dream of becoming a film writer became a reality. andrew co-wrote the screenplay nigerian prince with his friend. >> it's about a nigerian american teenager who is tricked into going to school the states, he teams up with his cousin who is an nigerian prince e-mail scammer. >> reporter: to get inspiration, he traveled to nigeria. >> when we got there, it was a scammer sitting there at the airport. i would talk to him more about the emotional side of just, like, what it's like to grow up in this place and how do you make it out. >> reporter: they submitted their screenplay to countless organizations for funding. but just last month, they found out they

meagan fitzgerald, news4. >>> and our team coverage continues with doug who is live in bethany beachow with the holiday forecast. how's it looking there? >> reporter: hey, guys, a beautiful day out here towards bethany. i should have gotten the hotdog. i got the polish sausage. it's not bad. temperature wise, looking pretty good. we've been in the 70s all day, even down to rehoboth beach. hit 76 in ocean city. and right here in bethany, about the same. back on camera, i want to give a shout-out right here, because this is will's 50th birthday. they are from burke and said we just want to get on television and say happy birthday to will. so happy birthday to will. and we'll have more on our backyard weather and kickoff to summer. >>> now to a place where they're not celebrating, the new twist for a white house in crisis this evening. for the first time the russia investigation is breaching the president's inner circle. mr. trump's son-in-law jared kushner is under fbi scrutiny. >> reporter: officials tell nbc news, the president's son-in-law and close adviser jared kushner say person

servers there for years, but six week ago, the two discovered their connection was in m news4 meagan fitzgeraldplains. >> reporter: if you're familiar with the fox hill residents, you know it's like a family here. daniel james knows that well, because his customers love him. >> dan has been downstairs as a waiter for the last two years. >> reporter: mexico city is a place sherry and daniel have always had in common. >> my husband was a foreign correspondent. and we were based in mexico city for "u.s. news & world report." >> reporter: sherry has a house filled with memories that span a lifetime. >> this painting is haitian. and i'm sure that jesse saw it. >> reporter: jesse was sherry's best friend. they lost her decades ago, something she found out in march was something she never could have imagined. daniel is sherry's best friend jesse's son. >> i had given him his baby shower. >> reporter: they made the connection here at the restaurant inside the fox hill resident. >> somebody said to daniel, who is our waiter that evening, you were born in mexico, weren't you? >> reporter: but when he men

back to you. >> meagan fitzgerald. we can see the wind starting to kick up.nks. >>> there could be some serious prison time heed for people involved in the violent protests that injured several police officers in downtown d.c. on inauguration day. a man from tampa pleaded guilty to charges of felony rioting and assault on a police officer. he's facing two to six years in returned indictments against 212 defendants in connection with that inauguration day violation. this was the first guilty plea on felony charges. >>> crisis averted, at least for now. congress has agreed on a budget plan that removes the threat of a government shutdown through september. but the spending battles are just gearing up. blayne alexander now has more as republicans get ready to vote on a second bill that could affect your health care. >> good evening to you. when we talk about health care for american families, for lawmakers here on capitol hill, so much of it comes down to pre-existing conditions. and exactly how those will be covered. that's really becoming a major sticking poin

in the newsroom, i'm meagan fitzgerald. >>> i'm julie carey in fairfax county.hey have some of the lowest prices on cigarettes around, but now the owner of three tobacco stores is in trouble with police for something that was behind the counter that shouldn't have been there at all. >>> take a look at the crowd that showed up at silver spring this morning to support the purple line. trying to get a new transit line built. but a federal judge is standing in the way. i'm inside the debate coming up. >>> a couple that pranked their children on the now famous youtube video channel have lost custody of their kids. this is chris gordon at the frederick county circuit co ♪ ♪ award winning interface. award winning design. award winning engine. the most awarded luxury suv of the century. narrator:to do time is what is right. ralph northam. army doctor during the gulf war. volunteer director of a pediatric hospice. progressive democrat. in the senate, he passed the smoking ban in restaurants, stopped the transvaginal ultrasound anti-choice law, and stood up to the nra. al

meagan fitzgerald reports from the scene. >> it felt like an explosion, it did, the whole house shook. >> reporter: it's a fire investigators are calling suspicious. >> it shook my bed. >> i started hearing pop, pop, pop, pop. >> i saw smoke. >> reporter: neighbors saw the flames and smoke before 2:00 this morning. two people who lived next door to the fire were immediately evacuated and now displaced. late morning extinguishing hot spots while investigators sifted through the rubble to figure out how it happened. >> saw the flames. i mean, it was horrible. they were higher than i've ever seen flames. >> reporter: just before the flames started, several neighbors say they saw the man who lived inside drive off. >> he packed his stuff and he was putting it on his truck. i asked him if they're moving, and he say, no, we're not. >> that was meagan fitzgerald reporting from lorton. the pentagon confirms the man who lived in the house was a pentagon police officer until a year ago. he has not been seen since that fire started. >>> in stark contrast in washington's political climate, one we

. >> reporting in the district, meagan fitzgerald, news 4. >>> killed by caffeine. high school student collapses and later dies after having too many of the drinks millions of us consume every governments around the world still reeling from the fallout of that massive ransom ware cyber attack. >>> does the storage on your phone always seem to fill up. how to make space and protect yourself from thieves. i'm at higher risk fore as depression.ave a stroke. i'm 26% more likely to develop an irregular heartbeat. i have a 65% higher chance of developing diabetes. no matter who we are, these diseases can be managed or prevented when caught early on. because with better research, the right medicine, and with doctors who help keep me healthy to begin with, we will thrive. ♪ chevythree years in a row. car company really... let's see how quickly you can read through all their awards. 2017 motor trend car of the year. kelly blue book 2016 best resale value... 10 best blah blah blah only about 90 more to go! 2017 iihs...top safety. 2017 north american car of the year! that's a

meagan fitzgerald has more on this story. >> reporter: this incident happened saturday evening inside this reston trader joe's. a muslim woman who didn't want to go on camera believes she was targeted by another customer because of her religion. jeremy mclellan says he's friends with the woman and spoke to news4 about woman to cut in front of her because she was in a rush, but that's when the woman insulted muslims. told the woman she was also muslim, but the verbal attack continued, so his friend started rolling on part of their encounter pch. >> i wish they didn't let you in the country. >> excuse me? i was born here. >> jeremy's friend said she didn't want to go on camera. we spoke to a trader joe's employee who spoke to that muslim woman shortly after the encounter and he describes her as being visibly upset. >>> first at 4:00, the price of a drug used to help children with muscular dystrophy has been slashed 60%. >> susan hogan has the latest on the cold front surrounding this very important medication. >> the drug has been able overseas for years. the controversy started in febr

meagan fitzgerald is live on the national mall with what you need to know about the festivities for the>> reporter: yeah, a lot of behind me, crews are already starting to set up for the big annual concert that takes place on the steps of the capitol. you can see the tent is up, and the flags are whiping ping in t wind. if you can't make it on sunday, you can come for the dress rehearsal. hundreds of thousands of people attend the concert. celebrities like laurence fishburne and joe mon tanya will be hosting. there will be a special tribute to gold star families and the tuskegee airmen. general colin powell and vanessa williams will always be here. the issue is to unite the country around our men and women who lost their lives serving for our country and those who are active in the military. there are things that you cannot bring. ken becontainers, going through bags and backpacks. don't bring things like knives or gunfire or lasers, and also, pets are not allowed out here unless it's a service dog. security is going to be tight in light of what we saw in the bombings in manchester. so

meagan fitzgerald has the latest developments from au. meagan? >> reporter: yeah, doreen, students we talked to are deeply concerned by the recent events that have been happening, which is why they started another protest today. even shutting down the toununne trying to make sure their voices are heard. some students say the administration isn't effectively addressing racially charge the incidents because they keep happening. so today -- >> if we don't get no justice -- >> you don't get no peace! >> reporter: -- more protests. students say seeing bananas hanging from a noose around campus during finals has impacted them. >> we're basically asking for the administration to give students of color extensions on their finals, as well as any exams or tests they've taken after the first banana incident occurred, if they could be revisited first. >> reporter: just last night, the university said a white supremacist made comment online. the university said, the author encouraged followers to troll the president of american university's student government

. >> reporter: meagan fitzgerald, news4. >> we want you to weigh in on our flash survey. in the wake of this attack, are you concerned about going to large public events? so far, about half of you are saying, no, you're not. there's still time to vote on the nbc washington facebook page. >> here at home, a community in our area has been dealing with a tragedy of its own. bowie state graduates are marking a while stone. >> but they're missing a friend and classmate today. in the first row at today's ceremony, an empty chair draped with a gown. it collins who was stabbed and killed before getting a chance to walk across the stage. tracee wilkins joins us after attending what had to be an emotional ceremony. >> it absolutely was. and even more so when you consider that across campus, a memorial where people have been stopping consistently, adding flowers, written notes, mementos from the graduation. then on the other side of the campus where bowie state had their graduation at the xfinity center, at moments it felt like a celebration and then other times more like a memorial

and meagan fitzgerald is live in downto downtown, d.c., with a look at what local police are doing to keep us safe. >> reporter: any time there's a terrorist attack, no matter how far away from here, it hits home. people go all the time to the verizon center for concerts and games. we're heading into the busy memorial day weekend, so people are concerned. but law enforcement officials say they're prepared. >> anywhere from 50 to 60,000 throughout the weekend. we generally get about 20,000 at the parade on monday morning. >> reporter: for the 23rd year in a row, rockville will welcome the taste of rockville, with large crowds, music, food and games. but the recent bombings in manchester, which killed more than 20 people, injuring dozens of others, will for a lot of people. >> it's scary because you never know where it can happen. here or anywhere. it's just scary. >> reporter: but rockville police say there will be a heavy police presence throughout the weekend. >> the city of rockville is always prepared. we do the best we can to be on top of things. we have no known threats, but ever

. >> meagan fitzgerald, thank you. >>> also, here in washington, a tribute to the victims. members of cair laid a wreath outside the british embassy in northwest. they also led an inter-faith prayer to honor the victims of this tragedy. > >> our coverage continues with pete williams and he'll be joining us in a few minutes with a closer look at the bomber. that's still to come at 6:15. >>> quite a bittersweet day today for bowie state's class of 2017. they're marking a milestone while also mourning the loss of one of their classmates. despite overwhelming grief, the family of richard collins iii, is celebrating his lieutenant richard collins iii to proceed to the stage to receive lieutenant collins' degree. >> today collins' father accepted his son's diploma days after his son was stabbed and killed at the university of maryland. >> reporter: richard collins iii was stabbed and killed at this bus depot behind us. this bus shelter. it's now turned into a memorial here. i can tell you that during today's gratiduation, there wer moments where it felt like a celebration, and ot

news4's meagan fitzgerald is there with the latest information. meagan? >> reporter: police tell us someone was walking along last night around 9:30, when they stumbled across this body. we're told it was about 200 yards inside this wooded area here. of course they called 911 and police were on scene investigating for hours. neighbors say this berwyn heights community is fairly quiet is peaceful. >> oh, my gosh. i didn't know that. oh, dear. >> reporter: which is why there was complete shock when they learned a man was murdered and his body was found in this wooded area near nevada street and yards away from their homes. >> the police, the fire department, the >> reporter: it was just before 9:30 wednesday night when bob said there area was flooded with police. >> it's very frightening. so i'm quite dismayed by that. >> reporter: lana isn't the only neighbor on edge. >> there was a body that was found? >> how far apart? >> half a mile. >> reporter: it was less than a mile away that just last month that a body of a retired maryland professor was found. in

meagan fitzgerald is live at au with the latest developments. meagan? >> yeah, wendy, i spoke to a lot of protesters, they tell me they feel like the university is not listening to their concerns and not adequately addressing racial issues. today we saw them march on campus, shutting down the tunnel at one point, and they say they will continue these acts of resistance, as they call it, until the university starts listening. >> hoping this time the administration will listen to us. >> reporter: concerns continue to grow for many students of color on the campus of american university. they say the administration isn't effectively addressing racially charged incidents on campus. so today -- >> if we don't get no justice -- >> then you don't get no peace! >> reporter: -- more protests. students hanging from a noose has impacted them. >> we're basically asking the administration to give students of color extensions on their finals, as well as any exams or tests they've taken after the first banana incident occurred, if they could be revisited first. >> repo

meagan fitzgerald is there. what's happening now? >> reporter: there's a protest happening right now, and it's because students say they're still concerned about the way in which the university handled these latest incidents. more than two dozen student protesters marched on campus. you'll see where that police car is, he's blocking traffic, because students are beyond that. they blocked off the tunnel and they are calling for changes. they are calling for a safer environment, because they say something has to happen. >> last night, it just felt different. i was definitely watching my back and making sure i'm okay. >> reporter: there's no doubt about it, the vibe on campus has changed for many students since monday, but concerns are growing after sga president taylor dumpson was targeted boo i a white supremacist online. a letter from the university says in part, quote, the author encouraged followers to troll the presi taylor dumpson. the university immediately dispatched law enforcement to her home to provide her and her family wit

. >> meagan fitzgerald talked to organizers about the message they're trying to send. >> reporter: yeah, these protesters are calling for racial and social justice. they want the trump administration to stop deporting undocumented immigrants that don't have a criminal record. these protest erds, over 10,000 of them are descending on lafayette square. they have the stage that is set and ready for those speakers that are expected to energize this crowd. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: what was a small group of protest erds around noon at malcolm x park grew to hundreds of people. many carrying signs. and chanting as they made their way down u street heading towards lafayette park. these may day demonstrators are here for many reasons. some say they want to bring attention to what they consider discriminatory practices against people of color and the lgbtq community in the workplace. others say they want the trump administration to stop painting trump as the enemy. >> the hypocrisy of the way they brought workers into this country to work in service industries and then pretend like they're not supposed t

meagan fitzgerald has the details. >> reporter: yeah, doreen, that body was found about 200 yards away from where we are here in this wooded area. police got the call around 9:30 last night. they spent hours scouring the woods for clues while neighbors tried to figure out what was happening in their seemingly unusually quiet neighborhood. >> very close. scary and disturbing. >> reporter: for the second time in weeks, a body was discovered in the woods near this berwyn heights neighborhood. prince george's county police say the latest case of a homicide. >> oh, my gosh, oh, i didn't know that. oh, dear. >> reporter: it was just before 9:30 on investigators say someone walking near nevada street stumbled upon the body and called 911. >> the police, the fire department, the forensic trucks. >> reporter: it was just before 9:30 wednesday night when bob neary said this area was flooded with police. >> it's very frightening. i'm quite dismayed by that. >> reporter: lana krozel isn't the only neighbor on edge. >> there was a body that was found. >> how far apart? >> half a mile. >> reporter:

>> reporter: i'm meagan fitzgerald here in montgomery county outside of richey park elementary school. you can see an active scene here. we're told there was a call that came in around 10:00 this morning for an odor inside the when officials called the first. evaluated the situation. we understand about two dozen kids at this point are being evaluated. it was said they were feeling sick. also some adults feeling sick as well. right now they're inside. some of those individuals that are being evaluated by first responders on-scene here are inside the montgomery county fire and rescue medical ambulance, but at this point we were told no one was transported to the hospital at this point. the school is evacuated and first responders trying to discover what this odor is and what's happening. again, important to note that at this point, no one has been transported to the hospital. we do know, though, there are at least two dozen kids that are being evaluated after some sort of odor was detected inside the school. back to you. >> all right. as we get more information we'll retweet and pushin

meagan fitzgerald is live at the scene talking to people in the area. >> reporter: wendy, investigators have been here throughout the day, sifting through the rubble, but they haven't said why they believe the fire is suspicious. what they are saying, it is a fortunate thing that no one was injured after that fire just tore through this home. as you can see, reducing it to rubble. >> it felt like an explosion. it did. the whole house shook opinion. >> it shook my bathtub. >> then i started hearing pop, pop, pop, pop. >> reporter: this is what neighbors saw just after 1:40 this morning, thick black smoke pouring out of a townhome on colluder drive. firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots, while investigators are trying to figure out how this happened. >> saw the flames. it was horrible. they were higher than i've ever seen flames. >> reporter: just before the flames started, several neighbors say they saw the man who lived inside drive off. >> he packed his stuff and he was -- i asked him if they're moving, he said no, we're not. >> reporter: the man who was living inside before the

meagan fitzgerald has more. >> i feel bad for her and that can happen to me or anybody here. >> reporter continued to grow for a lot of neighbors who live at the franklin park at greenbelt station apartments. saturday around 1:30 a.m., greenbelt police say a woman was attacked. >> the suspect evidently entered the residence by way of a partially open bedroom window. implied that he had a weapon and sexually assaulted the occupant. >> reporter: george matthews with the greenbelt police department says when officers arrived on scene, are they searched the area with units, but couldn't track town the suspect. that is part of the reason why this woman who did not want to go on camera says she's scared. >> we don't have no protection on the first floor, the windows are big and wide, they can -- it's easy for them to jump in. >> reporter: she says it's easy because they are not secured with metal bars. but police are still encouraging residents to be mindful of their surroundings and do everything they possibly can to remain safe. >> we were telling people close and secure the windows and make

for the last six months, mark ward lived in temporary housing, but as meagan fitzgerald shows us, two owners of a home improvement company decided to give this family a surprise of a lifetime. >> his home was gutted to the studs because of the fire. it started in the family room back here and it spread throughout the home. >> reporter: for the last six months, she and her husband have worked around the clock to restore the home of a man who gave so much to his country. >> this homeowner is a disabled veteran, isn't this a great way to kick off memorial day weekend. >> with the help of their team, they quickly returned this house to a home. >> he loves to cook. >> reporter: just and his granddaughter arrived. >> welcome home. >> all right,y.ka o okay, all right, where do we go? wow, that is nice. >> and for the first time, they got to see their new home. >> i'm so happy. it's so beautiful. i mean, i'm just so excited. >> reporter: making a difference in the lives of others is something doriki says she's thankful she can do. >> when the real estate market crashed, i lost everything. i w

meagan fitzgerald has the details. >> reporter: jim, this muslim woman didn't want to go on camera. but we did speak with one of her friends who assisted this woman. >> i wish they didn't let you in the country. >> excuse me? i was born here. >> jeremy mclellan says he's friends with the muslim woman who recorded her encounter with another customer. jeremy says his friend allowed the woman to cut in front of her in the store. >> i shouldn't have let you in front of me. >> that's when the woman s insulting muslims even after telling the customer that she's a muslim as well. >> obama's not in office anymore. >> i saw her face and i knew she was upset. i could tell by the look in her eyes. and she looked like she was tearing up a little. >> reporter: diego is a trader joe's employee ringing up items for jeremy's friend just moments after the encounter. i asked her, how is your day going. she was like, not good. i just got harassed by this woman. >> reporter: he offered to carry the woman's bags to her car because he was worried the situation would escalate in the parking lot, but he sa

. >> meagan fitzgerald is on the scene. what have you learned? >> reporter: well, we know this morning. neighbors say they heard a loud boom and their house shook. when they looked outside, what they saw was this town home e. deuced to charred wood and rubble. >> saw the flames. it was horrible. they were higher than i've ever seen flames. i mean, it scared me to death. >> reporter: this cell phone video was taken shortly after flames were shooting out of the town home. plumes poured out of the house, while 60 firefighters tries to put it out. meanwhile, two people living on either side were forced to evacuate. they're now displaced because there's damage to their home. >> on the outside a little bit, some smoke damage inside. there was a hole in the side of the wall, and some damage to the siding. >> reporter: fire investigators were here throughout the day, sifting through the fire started. right now, they're telling us no one was injured by this fire, but we know two people have been displaced and they're being assisted by the red cross. >> th

meagan fitzgerald has more from our newsroom. >> yeah, doreen, muslims are also seeing an increase in racially tinged acts. the council on america islamic relations or cair, released a report today saying anti-muslim acts have increased 57% from 2015 to 2016. they're calling the latest surge unprecedented. >> obama's not in office anymore. we don't have a muslim in there anymore. >> reporter: this cell phone video showing a customer insulting a muslim woman in line is just the latest incident of bias actsgainst muslims. the council forreleased a repor showing a surge in biased acts against muslims. they say in 2014, there were more than 1,300 incidents against muslims. fast forward to 2016, and the numberre >> so it's not just the american muslim community that's being it's all minority communities. >> reporter: the black community was targeted at arican university last week, when someone hung bananas from a noose at three different directions on campus. a noose was also found on the campus of the university of maryland. >> there's probably been more of an empowerment of attitudes tha

meagan fitzgerald is at the white house with details. >> reporter: wendy, they're calling for policy change. they want the trump administration to protect undocumented workers that don't have criminal histories, from being deported back to their native country. you can see just over my shoulder here, thousands of people are here at lafayette park, they are chanting, listening to speakers, being motivated, hoping that this white house hears their message. from large crowds in dupont circle -- ♪ ♪ >> reporter: -- to malcolm x park, may day protesters made sure their message was heard. they want the trump administration to stop deporting immigrants that don't have criminal records. >> to fight against the injustice that the groups are going through, especially with the new presidential regime. >> reporter: there were rolling closures as they marched toward lafayette park. once the crowd arrived chants grew louder and they were met by notable speakers by dnc chairman tom perez, and members of congress. >> i want to make sure that trump gets the message that we do not support his politics

meagan fitzgerald hosted a gala last night.oads was started back in 1970 by the late publishing executive frank carr. his mission was to help businesses gain greater access to diverse talent. the organization works with more than 200 people, placing young people of color into internships at some of the top corporations across the country. sthm >>> still to come, a story of loss and love and a story of hope from a familiar face. >> each loss was heart-shattering, but i stel felt like someone was missing her battle with infertility. >>> and an investigation into whether ci ty [[dad] hello?d] [woman] hello? wa [woman] hello! [parrot] hello! [dad] helllo! helllo! hello...hey...hello! it feels good to be recognized. hello! hi jake, this is bianca at td bank. how can i help? with td voiceprint, we know you simply by the sound of your voice. hi... wow i wasn't expecting...oh because no one has a voice quite like yours. don't just bank. bank human™. >>> questions are being raised tonight about

meagan fitzgerald is live in the newsroom. it sounds like the airline industry is getting the message now. >> apologies abound today on capitol hill. leaders from united, american, alaska, and southwest airlines testified in front of the house transportation committee. united's ceo apologized again for the way dr. david dao was treatedn that flight. american airlines apologized for a flight attendant arguing with a passenger after pulling a stroller from a mother. lawmakers told the airlines these things cannot keep happening to paying customers. >> there's something clearly broken when we see passengers treated the way some of them have been treated in recent flights. >> situations like this are an outlier, but it's important for americans to take responsibility when we don't handle things well. >> this has to be a turning point for the 87,000 people and professionals here at united. >> united's ceo took the opportunity to reiterate four changes his company is already making. united employees will only call police when there'