rebecca cooper has life team coverage from reagan national. we are having travel problems here? >> that is right, it is just rain coming down, a cold rain but we have managed to dodge the worst of the bad weather. there are flight cancellations at reagan national, especially impacting travelers that were hoping to get to boston, new york, or chicago. by this afternoon at reagan national, only one flight made it in from chicago, none made it out. >> my other plan is to get on a flight in milwaukee, take the train down to chicago. >> as the snow fell last night in illinois, trains were making it through. but look at the white knuckle conditions captured today is a flight tried to land at o'hare during whiteout conditions. the forecast euros for a wintry mix. >> i like the cold weather, so i'm ok with it. >> it depends. if school is closed tomorrow. >> what if i told you probably know snow, just cold rain? >> two-hour delay works. >> school delays are unlikely. most of us will just get more winter rain. >> if it is going to snow, go ahead and snow. all the winter mix does is make t

as rebecca cooper reports, this comes as ntsb investigators urge metro to improve the way it deals with smoke. >> they are crucial clues to metro's deadly january fire. a series of electrical cables and the cover for the third rail. all carefully stored in a basement of ntsb's headquarters at l'enfant plaza. the very metro stop where the accident occurred. riders say they have no choice but to use metro while the investigation continues. >> it's very disturbing to me. i'm very nervous. and try not to think about it. >> a preliminary ntsb report issued in days after is so-called arcing as the source of the fire. investigators want to know why these sparked all through the third rail tunnel. it came where two came together. >> in findings yesterday, ntsb investigators revealed that they were using fans that supposed to clear out some of the smoke. >> rather than using two crucial fans to suck smoke out of the tunnel, the fans were turned inward. causing the smoke to be further pulled in. choking the passengers those fans were supposed to help safe. -- save. >> leon and maureen, at a heari

rebecca cooper is in rockville where the weather is literally bringing people to tears. >> i am smiling, but that is only because it is frozen in place. there are people that need to get things like groceries. people having to find shelters. people without power. even for people not facing any emergencies, to go outside is just painful. it is the kind of day that brings tears to his eyes. your eyes are tearing up while you are talking to me. >> it is called. >> why did you come out? >> i would not have any coffee for tomorrow morning if i did not. >> he is a construction worker that has to go out in these cold. >> thermal socks thermal underwear, insulated boots adware, anything i can get. >> business is slow tonight as customers stay home. >> it is pretty much three tables. >> these sisters say that overheating at the malls made them want a frozen treat. >> it was really hot in the mall. we started eating some ice cream. >> the busiest places are the places that deliver. >> this is when we work the most. >> also cleaning up, crews that pick up from the heavy winds. calls there'd double

now, rebecca cooper is the newsroom with those that soared and the others that fell flat. rebecca? >> let's face it there are plenty of people doing the monday morning quarterbacking about that call. but winning the ad wars is also big business. so we talked to viewers in our region and took a look at "usa today"'s annual ad meter that tests your response to see who scored high and who fumbled the ball when it came to super bowl ad wars. and the winner is -- budweiser. the ad holding on to the heart strings with stories of a lost puppy finding his way back and a tearful cowboy scored big on the annual "usa today" ad meter. even former house speaker newt gingrich took to social media calling the tear jerker brilliant. this year's second highest score went to always for their commercial saying like a girl can and should dignify. of the funnier ads fiat scored highest. number three on the ad meter using a lost viagra pill to promote a pumped up fiat. >> everybody was in love with it after that. >> more humor getting high marks? doritos gross guy on the airplane. using doritos to score

in the newsroom rebecca cooper abc 7 news. >> d.c.lice chief kathy lanier testified today in the trial in a whistle blower lawsuit. one of her officers claimed he was demoted by the chief after revealing that celebrities were receiving improper police escorts. sam ford is live in northwest with what happened in court. sam? >> yes maureen. since this trial began here nearly two weeks ago a parade of police -- current and former police brass have beening coming here testifying some saying that the chief is not telling the truth. today, chief who has been here every day since this began took the stand this afternoon as her own witness. >> this all started after public outrage that police escorted charlie sheen from the airport he tweeted out as

this is "washihington business report" " with a abc 7 national correspondent rebecca cooper. >> thank you for joining us for a fresh look at business and finance. coming u up, de-motivators. the peopler things that suck the life out oproductive workplaces. we find out high to rise ave. in our roundtable, a top economist a and biness guy are here to o tackle some of the big is thiheadlines that could affect your bottom line. but first this weekwhen you have a winning formula in business mosost exrts say to keep d doing what you are already doining. toda we talked to one of the restaurant world's most successful c.e.o.'s who took the opposite approac richard sandoval now stands at the top of the restaurant world. after his s firsrestaurant got rave reviews, stead of opening another one just like it, he deliberately tried something different. new food and fresh atmosphere. nothat the 40-something ef hahas opened 40 restaurants in 25 years, i wanted to know the secret ingredients in his recipe for success. chef richard sandoval, welcome to "washington business report." i hesitate what to

this is "washington busiss report," with abc 7 tional correspondndent rebecca cooper. >> today is a big day -- super bowl sunday. not only synonymous with football, but also advertising. exexperts s say the fact t that 15 companies are jumping in for thehe fit time, willing topend $4.5 million per 30 second slot is a g good sign for the overall ececonomy. top ad execs break down the best and worst when it comes to advanced o odds, b branding, and other lessons every busess can lelearn,ven without a supersized ad budget. and how to win from the sidelines -- waways to use skills outside of your day job to make money and adadvance your caree without cheati on the boss. first, we want t to hear from you. with so many s super bowl as released in advance, which have you seen that you either loved or hate? tell us s on facebook, or tweet us . here is one we think ems t to have the winning formula -- funny, memorable, and for those of us over 40, relatable. >> i was not prepared to translate that, the little mark th the a and the ring around it. >> at. >> that is what i said. she thought it was

rebecca cooper, abc 7 news. >> animal control officers want to know the left four dogs in a crate by the side of the road in annapolis. a concerned person reported the crate with dogs inside. when officers respond, they could not find the cratem but learned that a good samaritan had taken them home to keep them safe. the dogs are with animal control but will be available for adoption. a proposal raising eyebrows and loudoun county, the school board is considering making some parents pay for full-day kindergarten. school officials say it would be about $5,000 per family, but that is unclear if it is per student or per family. some parents feel that paying above and beyond their taxes is not right. >> we are trying to fight the property tax issue too. >> they probably would not have to pay tuition to have their kids in school all day. >> any tuition bill would have to be given the green light by lawmakers because statutes in virginia require public schooling to be free. another district dealing with budget dishes. prince william county school board is discussing budget cuts. all day ki

re rebecca cooper is live in arlington with more tonight. rebecca? >> you can see this mall parking lot is filled with shoppers. we're at pentagon row adjacent to pentagon city mall. there's stores here and plenty of stores at pentagon city mall. mall officials said they don't want to comment on security measures but all the mall officials that we spoke to throughout the washington region today stress that there is no credible or imminent threat against any mall in the washington region. still, shoppers that we spoke to today were very aware of the threat made over the weekend by the terrorist group responsible for those brutal killings at the mall in kenya two years ago that left 60 dead. over the weekend, they posted an on-line video urging their supporters to now target malls in the west including here in the united states. and, in fact they showed pictures of the mall of america in minneapolis. showing its g.p.s. coordinates and urging followers to plan more attacks on the west. the shoppers that we spoke to today say they're aware of that. a lit

rebecca cooper is live outside of the pentagon city mall in arlington with more. rebecca? >> maureen, that group was responsible for killing 60 people in that attack on the kenyan mall. and this weekend, their on-line video said it's time for their sympathizers to target western malls including here in the united states. shopping at pentagon road today, leslie said she had just left funeral services at arlington national cemetery. she wasn't about to let the terrorists win even though this weekend's threat against malls made her a little nervous. >> i don't want my freedom to be obstructed by their trying to scare us. that's what terrorism is they want to get you know controlling your lives. >> adjacent to pentagon city mall and the pentagon military uniforms are a common sight here at pentagon road stores. but so are families out shopping. and even young people braving the cold for ice skating lessons. amy kim works here. and knows that sharing a name with the pentagon makes pentagon city mall and pentagon row possible targets. >> would you think twice of working here? >>

rebecca cooper shows us how some people are coping and preparing. >> most days there are long lines for this mediterranean food truck in rosslyn but while many may be dreaming about mediterranean beaches today, few are willing to go outside to wait in line for the food. he says it is uncomfortably cold. but he was getting cabin fever the office. >> i get sick of going to the same places over and over again. >> good, warm food. cold weather. >> yeah. nice to get away from my desk. for a few minutes. >> plenty of people had to go outside today. experts say when it's this cold extra layers are your best bet. make sure that any pets that go outside are also kept warm in the cold. she modified her dog walking schedule today for the 5-month-old puppy oscar. >> we did one walk. we usually do two. >> plus she and her 8-year-old daughter ava gave themselves a little incentive. >> get hot chocolate. >> for this extreme cold protect your house as well. even if you've already turned off water to the outside, you can cover the outside faucets with insulating foam covers fortunately also insulate exp

in the newsroom rebecca cooper abc 7 news. >> d.c. police chief kathy lanier testified today in the trial in a whistle blower lawsuit. one of her officers claimed he was demoted by the chief after revealing that celebrities were receiving improper police escorts. sam ford is live in northwest with what happened in court. sam? >> yes maureen. since this trial began here nearly two weeks ago a parade of police -- current and former police brass have beening coming here testifying some saying that the chief is not telling the truth. today, chief who has been here every day since this began took the stand this afternoon as her own witness. >> this all started after public outrage that police escorted charlie sheen from the airport he tweeted out as speeds of 80 miles per hour. the special operations commander hilton burton testified before the city council that police did such free celebrity escorts all the time. contradicting his boss chief kathy lanier who said that the department did not. burton sued saying it was retaliation for his t

this is "washington business repo" witabc 7 national correspondents rebecca cooper. >> thanks for joining us, for a fresh look at t busineness and nance and how iaffectyou. coming up on totoday's show,w, affordablele caract dedeadline time, whwhat bususinesseses need to know in ouroundtable,ome surprises about wn amicanss haveve been doing with all that cash they y have been savingt the pump. new job numbers sw growth inn thdistrict, t it is roh in the d.c. suburbs. it's time for the second part of our e-on-o-one ierview wh ththe cofoundersrs of 1776, which helps startupsot jusust in the district, buarou the wororld. this week we find out about the internatational l event. the cofounder evan burfield sayays ithe mostnspirational thing h'ever done. donna harris gives us the insight. >> not everybody in washington d.c. is going to go entrepreneurship, evolution, let me quit my job and start a startup. what they can do is say, how can i help? are there people i know in my network i could introduce you to? can i help you understand how the industry operates, how superintendents think, how hea

rebecca cooper is in our newsroom on the story for us tonight. what is this all about? >> it is a possible investigation tonight. abc is reporting that investigators are looking at why a former state prosecutor was dismissed from his job and whether it was linked to accusations he made against chris christie. justice department officials spent an hour interviewing former new jersey prosecutor. he was dismissed as a state prosecutor after he claimed governor christie used his office to help powerful friends avoid criminal investigations and indictments. the u.s. attorney's office is not commenting on whether or not there is a probe. in the past, christie has denied allegations of involvement. >> thanks. >> this just in from fairfax county. the school board approved a $2.6 billion budget for 2016. the board says there is enough money to pay for full day mondays in elementary schools and later start times for high schools. a 1% pay increase for all employees. the budget is a $64 million increase over this year. it needs to be approved by the county board of supervisors. >>

this is "washihington business report" " with a abc 7 national correspondent rebecca cooper. >> thankotivators. the peopler things that suck the life out oproductive workplaces. we find out high to rise ave. in our roundtable, a top economist a and biness guy are here to o tackle some of the big is thiheadlines that could affect your bottom line. but first this weekwhen you have a winning formula in business mosost exrts say to keep d doing what you are already doining. toda we talked to one of the restaurant world's most successful c.e.o.'s who to

this is "washington busiss report," with abc 7 tional correspondndent rebecca cooper. >> today is a bigball, but also advertising. exexperts s say the fact t that 15 companies are jumping in for thehe fit time, willing topend $4.5 million per 30 second slot is a g good sign for the overall ececonomy. top ad execs break down the best and worst when it comes to advanced o odds, b branding, and other lessons every busess can lelearn,ven without a supersized ad budget. and how to win from the sidelines -- waways to use skills outsid

this is "washington business repo" witabc 7 national correspondents rebecca cooper. >> thanks for joiningn totoday's show,w, affordablele caract dedeadline time, whwhat bususinesseses need to know in ouroundtable,ome surprises about wn amicanss haveve been doing with all that cash they y have been savingt the pump. new job numbers sw growth inn thdistrict, t it is roh in the d.c. suburbs. it's time for the second part of our e-on-o-one ierview wh ththe cofoundersrs of 1776, which helps startupsot jusust in the district, buarou the wororld.

rebecca cooper is live on capitol hill tonight after speaking with one of those house chairs who says the law. rebecca, what did you hear? >> well pretty strong language. in an exclusive interview with abc 7 news g.o.p. leaders are telling us as far as congress is concerned, it is not legal to light up in the district. they say u.s. capital police and u.s. park police are going to be following different orders than the metropolitan police department. but will they go so far as to order that the mayor of d.c. be arrested? when it comes to legalized pot in the district republican leaders insist they won't allow it. even if it was approved by voters. >> obviously, the overwhelming majority thought it was a good idea here in d.c. but the will of congress did not agree with me. >> republican congressman mark meadows is one of the g.o.p. leaders with oversight of the district. and tells us any attempt by d.c. to fully implement this law will be blocked by congress. >> there's no way to implement this without spending money and so when you do that,

rebecca cooper at the live desk now with what the investigation found. rebecca? >> alison and leon good news and bad news scenario for anyone drinking d.c. water. the good news, d.c. water ran several tests at 140 different sites and they did not find petroleum in any of the sources collected. the bad news -- well, it's two fold. first, water officials say they still simply don't know the source of the smell even though if it was they reported in northwest d.c. in december. for anybody who did drink the water, investigators say there's a strong possibility that there was petroleum contamination but because the chemical that quickly changes from liquid to gas and then simply evaporates they may have failed to catch it while it was still in the water. still, alison and leon, with the release of this report today officials insist d.c. water remains safe to drink. now, if any customers have any concerns, you can contact d.c. water at their 24-hour command center. we're posting those phone numbers on our website and we have much more information from the report. that'

rebecca cooper at our live desk with a look at the commercials last night. >> viewers say they watch the super bowl and the ads to be entertained and not depressed at least until their team loses. even the ads that score high with viewers went heavy with sentiment over humor. the ad getting the highest viewer response this year was budweiser's lost puppy ad. according to "usa today"'s super bowl ad meter. >> it was kind of heartwarming and sentimental and made you a little sad but had a happy ending. >> it was super cute. >> while a few of the top 10 ad meter favorites this year went for laughs like fiat's viagra spoof, the majority went for tears. like this nissan ad portraying an absentee race car driving dad. beyond being sad, some viewers said it didn't make them want to buy a car. >> i thought it was a really stupid idea. why crash a car that you're telling people to buy. >> provoking a strong debate on line both pro and con was this ad from nationwide. >> because i died from an accident. >> nationwide officials say the ad promotes household safety as a public service. still, tw

reporting live from the office building rebecca cooper abc 7 news. >> keep us posted. john boehner is staying tight lipped tonight and he will not say how the house will respond to a senate bill to fund the department of homeland security. this bill is controversial because it gets rid of house approved provisions to derail president obama's immigration plans. now, the d.h.s. faces a partial shutdown unless congress passes a $40 billion budget by tomorrow night at midnight. >> we have something of a partial shutdown weatherwise today but the abc 7 storm watch team got to give them credit they were right on with the morning storm report. they nailed the totals and the timelines. >> they sure did. now our chief meteorologist doug hill is a look at what we can expect next from the forecast. we're not surprised. you always nail it. >> not always but i appreciate it. i'll tell you what traffic this morning, conditions all things considered, people took their time and paid attention. worked out well. now we have a cloudy day with a few breaks in the overcast on the western h

rebecca smith sending us this snowy photo from west virginia. take a look there as it piles up. angie cooper is sending us this one as well. and the adorable photo of daughter ainsley playing in a new hampshire winter wonder land. >> up in new hampshire they know how to dress for the weather, very clearly. i want to say i appreciate no beach photos. last time wethese photos we got all these beach photos, people at the pool, it's nice not to have to endure that right now. >> well, i'll tell you, right now florida has its own share of winter woes as well. >> it's cold down there. it's cold everywhere. it's he a little bit better here. when we started the show we could not even make out the capitol here. we were talking on one of the breaks. it's amazing this snowstorm nobody thought was going to be a beg deal. oh, it's nothing. a little dusting of snow. all of a sudden you now 5 inches coming. so we'll see if we can't make it home. >>> coming up in the next hour, the new u.s. defense secretary is has landed in kabul. we'll tell you what he has to say. the future of the u.s. military withdrawal