how did our country decide on a washington monument of any kind? >> it started out in 1783 when the revolutionary war was over but we hadn't signed the treaty of peace with britain. congress passed a bill authorizing the direction of a monument to george washington, huge equestrian monument with a huge huge base and everything else. that was the easy part. in 1783, the united states was as broke as any country could be. they didn't have enough money to pay interest on the debt let alone build a monument. every few years some would suggest, we really ought to do something to have a monument to honor george washington who was thought of the father of his country. first mps, first in first in war and first in the hearts of his countrymen. don marshall was the third chief justice and he was a huge washington fan. he wrote a five volume history, a biography of washington. it's still in print which is a great deal to say about most books that are 200 years old. john quincy adam had his suggestion in his state of the union address and finally later they fo

now, it is basically good, the 1st washington monument was not built in a washington monument that we know was. because unfortunately, it was already beginning to pitch a little bit. the ground underneath it was not solid. casey had, for years to work underneath the monument shorn it up. most of his great engineering feats were under ground. marsh figured out the dimensions, and casey then ripped off the three that the know nothings have built and began building. and you can see in the washington monument. i am sure you have notice the difference in the coloration, about 155 feet up. thomas casey was a wonderful man, he was incorruptible, also a bulldog, a great ability to simply ignore congress. he decided, the monument has become a football for blacks. and it is exactly what it was. but he is the one who persevered. by december 7, 1884 it was finished. and so the monument that we see here and cherry blossom time is a picture i chose a couple of days ago because it was so foggy here. well, that is kind of nice. i like the photograph for a lot of reasons. adjusting her camera, this ar

the washington monument being one. national park service s let's roll some video, at about 280 feet up is when 10-20 people on the elevator had to get down. 25 people were on the observation deck. and all of them had to walk down. now moments ago, we talked to a family from new york. they're in town, they wanted to see the monument. let's hear what they have to say. >> we're at the top looking around, saw the great views and just as we were starting to get in line for the elevator, we saw the park service ranger kind of running around. counting up who was there and let us know that the elevator was stuck. so we were going to have to walk down all the way. >> what was going through your mind, how far did you have to walk down? >> we had to walk down about 500 feet. we have three kids. they were kind of determined and did it, were great. we're just happy to get out of there as quickly as we're able to. >> now a lot of folks here in d.c., such as myself, may take the monument for granted. but there are people from around

but just like with washington monument, just like with the u.s. capitol and just like with everything involved with memorializing george washington, they got it all figured out over time. ironed the wrinkles out of the system. mount vernon has had something like 80 million visitors over time, including presidents and queens and kings and all sorts of dignitaries. things are running shipshape over there. you can take a house to work or to consumers like to live in george washington's done. you can sample some of the whiskey that was distilled using his actual recipe. there's a point now where if you know those national treasure movies you can take a nicholas cage tour of george washington's house which is just fascinating. you can also take part in a brief ceremony they have twice a day at mount vernon. if you do that and how to advise you to do, it's really cool, listen closely for the tune because of pressure you can your the son of george washington rolling over in his grave at all of the things we've done to him over the years. i said before the

but just like with the washington monument, just like with the us capital and just like with everything involved with memorializing george washington, they got it all figured out over time. mount vernon has had something like 80 zillion visitors over time including presidents and all sorts of dignitaries. and things are running shipshape. you can take a house tour, sample some of the whiskey that was distilled. i'm pretty sure heyou can here the sound of george washington rolling over in his grave. we argue about the for a long time. thievery, all kinds of bad behavior. george washington dies in 1799 and there is not another dead president until 1876. having seen what happened to the processor they wanted to avoid becoming to presence. thank you all so much for coming. such a treat to be here with you and i'm happy to take any questions you have. thank you for coming. >> a story to tell us about the amazing, beautiful semi circles of columns that mark the demise of warren g harding. >> my 1st warren g harding question. this is fantastic. was in fact president. okay. good. one of those g

then it was finally finished the that was a popular symbol but they couldn't care less of the washington monument and like have a monument to open different chapters with it is amazing but even early in the part of the 19th century after jefferson was elected president his party was not thrilled with washington in the federalist >> that is true thomas jefferson was the great man but by far my least favorite founding father. to be a classic ideologue in washington was basically a federalist. but he wanted a strong union so jefferson was his vice president. so the press started to savage president washington to say if you think it is bad today you should read early 18th-century. >> back to the know nothings the reason why they wanted to put a stone is it is good timing with those leanings and donald trump was not available to moderate this discussion. >> but they pretty much went bonkers and tried to keep catholics out of the country. they were anti-immigrant and anti-catholic. especially from the german and the irish. and of course, they were all catholics. they did not like that and all. so they

jay: washington monument is closed. elevator stopped at the 280 mark. there were people stuck on the elevator and they have gotten down. 25 people on the observation deck. i will walk to the listen family that were a family of five. you were among the 25 stuck all the way at the top at the observation deck. what happened? >> we were enjoying the v we went downstairs to the floor where you catch the elevator on the way down. we saw a ranger going around a few times doesn'ting up. alerted us that the elevator was stuck. that you would have to walk down. jay: what was it like? you didn't have a stroller. you have a 1-1/2-year-old. >> we expect elevators. a once in a lifetime experience going down. the kids were able to see different stones that were inside. it was okay. jay: there have been a couple of times in the last year with an issue of the elevator. did you have any issues going? >> no. no thought of issues on the way down. glad it's just an envator issue. jay: thank you. an eventful experience for them on the trip. electrical repair crews are there

the washington monument was closed for several days last months when the contractor accidentally damaged the elevator control box. >>> happening right now, a protest outside of the headquarters of loundoun county school system. parents and teachers are rallying against the board to consolidate low income students into two elementary schools. most of the students are hispanic and some parents call it sore yes economic segregation the school board members who support the plan say that the move will bring in more federal dollars for those schools which would benefit the children. >>> sky 9 was over the scene in oakton as firefighters tried to put out flames over this large residence. they discovered the flames in the garage and spread into the house. crews manned long ladders as they fought the fire through the roof. nobody was injured. nobody was at home. >>> day 2 of the compute are attack which crippled two of the biggest computer systems. mallware attacked the system and getting basics like e-mail may take longer to some patients reported canceled appointments and delays when staff trie

no witness was injured during the evacuation, but the washington monument is now closed while the necessaryepairs are made. > this is video property last time the monument was forced to close, it was february 20 of this year. in this case, a contractor working inside the monument accidentally damaged the elevator control box. there's no word on today's incident did. > donald trump says he's advised his campaign manager not to settle the misdemeanor battery charges filed against him today. corey lieu do you ski is accused of grabbing a female reporter's arm during a campaign stop in florida earlier this month. police filed the charges after seeing surveillance video that appears to show lieu do you ski reaching his hand towards the reporter. speaking from his plane today, trump told reporters that he's standing by his campaign manager and he lashed out at the accuser. > today marks 43 years since the last american troops returned home from fighting in vietnam. secretary of defense ash carter thanked some of the surviving vet during a special ceremony at the vietnam memorial. back then the we

. >> no word yet on whether the washington monument will reon today. it was closed yesterday afternoon after an elevator stopped working people got stuck at the top and had to walk down hundreds of stairs to get out. this is not the first time elevator problems caused the monument to close. last month a problem closed it for several days. >> still ahead a week from the next presidential primary. all five candidates making stops in wisdom martin. latest from the campaign trail coming up next. >> and compromise to rezone a school district facing harsh criticism. why it's unfair to lower income students. time 4:37 we're back after the wall street. the nra. they're powerful. they usually get their way. but not with democrat donna edwards. she won't take cash from wall street banks. and when washington insiders wrote a loophole to let the nra spend dark money to kill gun safety laws, donna edwards said 'no' she's fighting to ban assault weapons and putting the safety of our communities first. because to democrat donna edwards, the special interests aren't s

it's referring to washington's monument. the sort of obelisk in the center of the monumental sort of master plan of the core of washington. the pyramid at the top. it's an inversion of that pyramid. and it's exactly the same angel as that pyramid. so, visually they come into alignment, almost like two sort of planetary bodies. but also it's referring to a yoruba sculpture, which was about the column, the capitol columns of shrine houses. in a way i'm sort of speaking about an ancestral memory of something, and a contemporary memory of something. >> you said the spirit behind the design was praise. how do you design praise? >> praise is about a kind of understanding the nature of form, and the way in which form kind of makes us understand things that are upwardly uplifting, or things that make us inward. and i think form does do that. and i think we looked at thousands of images of people in the state of happiness, or state of praise. and ironically their hands were up in a v shape most of the time. or, their hands were halfw

. >> washington monument had to close after an elevator stopped working. 40 people got stuck at top and had to walk down hundred of stairs t expecting the monument again making mess teary repairs. no word when it will open. >> mid star health lowly getting back online. >> and returning the system to normal. >> 6:14 now let's check in with tucker barnes. >> and supposed to take a "fox5" field trip to the washington monument with allison. >> it will happen soon. still coming. >> yeah you picked up the forecast here. if you head to the bus stop this morning cold temperatures. lots of 20s early this morning. nice afternoon. expecting temps mid 60s. later preezy conditions will set up today and won't be winds we had yesterday and the day before. that's good news. here's cold numbers. 4 washington and 44 annapolis and those are milder temperatures rt we're at or below freezing. good freeze here in fretd rick 28. 27 this morning martinsburg. mannasas 27. 28 culpeper and 30 dulles very, very chilly temperatures to start the day. couldn't be quieter. we have lots of sunshine to look forward to.

understand when things like that happen, it's kind of scary, especially when you're in the washington monument. 40 people had to walk down at least 20 stories. we talked to a family from new york, dad, mom, two kids, they all had to come down. let's hear what they had to say. >> how far did you have to walk down? >> we had to walk down about 500 feet. we have three kids. they were kind of determined and did it, were great. we're just happy to get out of there as quickly as we were able to. >> looking at a live picture of the washington monument on this beautiful day. elevator technicians are looking at it i trooing to figure out why this continues to we have counted at least eight times since may of 2015, that the washington monument elevator has malfunctioned. i've stood out here approximately four times reporting on this over and over again. hopefully technicians can figure out what exactly is going on. so when all of these tourists come to town and the group comes to check this thing out they can go up, have a great time and come down on the elevator. live in northwest d.c., i'm shomari sto

favorite is the statue of liberty with a little snow globe in the middle, which is great, and my washington monument that is also a thermometer. oh, so we're talking about souvenir stuff from the united states. what about abroad? i have the eiffel tower, and then i also have edinburgh castle from my trip to scotland. okay, good for you. it's not that tall, though. all right, todd grabarsky is from l.a., but he once had a difficult job in new york. whenever i travel to new york, i worked as a bike messenger. that's scary. [ chuckles ] you have to deal with traffic, and sometimes you guys go the wrong way on one-way streets, and you don't always obey the laws, am i right? i'll plead the fifth on that, alex. [ laughter ] how long did you do that? a few months -- i was in between jobs, i was biking everywhere, so i figured why not make some cash while doing it? yeah. i hope you didn't do it during the winter months. [ laughs ] yeah? okay. andrew haringer is from squamish, british columbia; he's our champion. whenever i hear the word squamish, i think of, "hey, that must be a good place to go fishing." a

more elevator problems at the washington monument.ow many people were trapped and how they got down. breakin' news, the rescue underway after a building collapsed in virginia. announcer: from abc7 news, this is a breaking news alert. leon: that breaking news in manassas right now. we have learned at least one person died at this scene and five others were injured after a collapse at the business. maureen: prince william county police say a freezer collapsed trapping workers inside. news chopper 7 was overhead in the rescue efforts. this ised a bald ford -- in this is off bald word road off 234. richard reeve just got there and joins us live. rich? richard: we are just getting word as you said. one person ha five people have been transported. we will pan off to see what this place is. it's called the reinhart food industry building. there wisconsin a freezeer inside here and it collapsed. several people were trapped underneath the storage shelf. multiple people were trapped inside. then they had four people hurt. they had a serious con

favorite is the statue of liberty with a little snow globe in the middle, which is great, and my washington monument that is also a thermometer. oh, so we're talking about souvenir stuff from the united states. what about abroad? i have the eiffel tower, and then i also have edinburgh castle from my trip to scotland. okay, good for you. it's not that tall, though. all right, todd grabarsky is from l.a., but he once had a difficult job in new york. whenever i travel to new york, i feel for these guys. you once did what? i worked as a bike messenger. that's scary. [ chuckles ] go the wrong way on one-way streets, and you don't always obey the laws, am i right? i'll plead the fifth on that, alex. [ laughter ] how long did you do that? a few months -- i was in between jobs, i was biking everywhere, so i figured why not make some cash while doing it? yeah. i hope you didn't do it during the winter months. [ laughs ] yeah? okay. andrew haringer is from squamish, british columbia; he's our champion. whenever i hear the word squamish, i think of, "hey, that must be a good place to go fishing." am i right? w

. >>> a live look at the washington monument this morning. we're working to find out when it will reopen after its latest elevator malfunction. the elevator got stuck 28 stories roughly. 19 people that that elevator at the time, they were able to get out. 23 people were on the observation deck, they had to walk down about 900 steps. this is the ninth time in less than a year it's caused the elevator to close. >>> starting today, some of you are able to send a text to alert police and firefighters in an emergency. now you can text 911 for help if you aren't able to call on your phone. fairfax county also has done this. they started their text last year. >>> because my dad was unconscious and he won't wake up. >> speaking of 911, an area 7-year-old being called a hero for calling for help for her dad. the incredible story of how she saved him and how she's being honored today. >>> taking a live look outside. we are off to a calm start. don't put that umbrella away just yet. >>> plus, we're monitoring the intuation ♪ latest on the investigation

service provides a unique experience, people attending are able to see the sunrise with the washington monument and the u.s. capital dome in the background. >> now in the middle east where thousands gathered in jer he's lum. local christians joined pilgrims from around the world. >> and in iraq worshippers celebrated easter despite the violence that continue toss plague the country. many people have been left homeless after their villages. parishioners say they are hopeful that iraq's army will wipe out the rebels and they'll be able to celebrate easter in their own home next year. >> easter turned deadly in pakistan and a bomb blast killed 65 people and wounded three ours. a suicide bomber carried out the attack. the area was crowded with family celebrating easter. that explosion went off near the children's rides in the park. >> and in belgium police are continuing their round-up. >> and the dragnet has now shifted to another country. >> reporter: mourning for the victim's last week's terror attack riot police using water cannons to disburse the protesters, anti-immigration/antigovernment act

. >>> it's 5:31 now, and we're working to find out when the washington monument might reopen after the latest elevator malfunction. the elevator got about 280 feet up, yesterday afternoon. 19 people were in the elevator at the time. they were able to get out. 23 people who were on the observation deck, 500 feet up had walked down nearly 900 steps. this is the ninth time in less than a year that elevator issues have caused the monument to close. >> even though some gop senators are agreeing to meet with supreme court nominee merrick garland, leadership insists on waiting to fill former antonin scalia's seat until after the election. at the same time, edward lawrence is live on the hill with more on a pretty unique request from the supreme court. >> the supreme court has actually asked for more information that has actually been heard in front of the court which is not something heard of. for the very first time, supreme court naum kneel merrick garland has met with a republican senator. he met with mark kirk from illinois who praised him. the senator urged other senators to meet the nom

more than two dozen people do touring inside the washington monument got quite a scare this afternoon. they got stuck for a while afteh the elevator stopped working once again. fox5's teisha lewis is life at the monument grounds with more on this. teisha, what do they have toave say. >>reporter: what we can say is that this has happened several times in ease event years, the elevator malfunking at the washington monument. thankfully in this case there are no injuries to report, butut tens moments for 19 people, visitors and one park ranger. there were nearly two dozen tw people stranded at the top at the observation level when the elevator went down. do everyone was safely evacuated.vu the national park service says it remains a mystery why the elevator stopped working about b halfway up, but just last month the monument was closed for clo several days reportedly to to repair a damaged elevator control position.co >> now you're taking a life look at the scene right now when we arrived here just moments agoome there were several ambulances and also first responders. res they have since

right now work is underway at the washington monument after the elevator there sto operating at 4:00 today. more than a dozen people on board were stuck in it when it stopped 280 feet in the air. 23 people at the observation deck had to walk all the way down. monument will remain closed until the inspections and the repairs are completed. maureen: a massive fire destroyed a home this afternoon. this video tells us that the crews were called to the home on wind song drive at 3:00. there are no reports of the injuries. we are told the fire is out. early indications are that the fire started outside the home and spread to it. leon: the u.s. capitol complex back open but with visible higher security. this is coming a day after larry dawson pulled a b.b. gun at the visitor center. he was shot by the capitol police after that. dawson from antioch, tennessee, was barred from the capitol building. he was charged after an outburst at the u.s. house. chamber. he made a video to raise money for the movement to raise minimum wages. >> you are vent evacuation notice for americans in turkey. the s

michelle: the elevator at the washington monument is back up and running. you will recall it malfunctioned yesterday afternoon leaving 19 people stranded halfway up the 555-foot monument. they had to walk down a few hundred steps. but everyone was just fine. they just got extra cardio. the national park service says it is still working to figure out why the elevator stopped working. we will take you inside the monument today at 6:00. jonathan: a man out riding his bike on a popular bike path in alexandria was j him. police say this happened near the 500 block of holmes run parkway. right now the police don't have a good enough description to pass along to us to give to you. in prince george's county, video, this video is giving police a little more to go on after a group of teenagers attacked and robbed somebody at the iverson mall. maryland bureau chief brad bell is live in temple hills. brad, this may not be the only attack associated with this group. brad: yeah, that is exactly right. that is one of the reasons police are so concerned. they believe the s

and in this touching moment in 1848, she attended the groundbreaking for the washington monument.rowd was eliza hamilton, dolly madison, and a one term congressman named abraham lincoln. you can see the founding generation and the civil war generation. at that one moment, they meet and touch. charlie: you know your history and you know your presidents and you know your founding fathers. and you are a recorder of the american experience. what do you know about rap music? first -- when i first met them, i was a complete ignoramus about hip-hop and rap and about lynn monroe. he invited me back in late 2008. i found out from a mutual friend that he had read the book and it had made an impression on him. charlie: what was he to you? >> i was vaguely aware of his name that i had not seen the show. i heard that this hip-hop artist seemed interested in my book. charlie: wanted you think? >> i was a little bit skeptical. charlie: you are a pulitzer flies -- pulitzer prize recipient. >> i was a little bit skeptical. he invited me to a matinee, i went backstage. and i loved the show. i was v

edgar allan poe's gravesite is always a draw, along with the washington monument. number two... colorado springs. garden of the gods highlights magnificent red rock formations. the old colorado city, a national historic district, offers a glimpse into the past. number one.. savannah the cathedral of st. john the baptist, dating back to 1799, mesmerizes visitors. the "art and soul" of the city, savannah city market has been a social hub since the early 17 hundreds. 3 3 3 3 expect for the next three 3 carolina tries 3 to rebound from saturday's loss at virginia. stan has their chapel hill shootout with syracuse, next in sports. 3 pet moments are beautiful, unless you have allergies. then your eyes may see it differently. only flonase is approved to relieve both itchy, watery eyes and congestion. no other nasal allergy spray can say that. when we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance. flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. let your eyes decide. flonas

beautiful colors from the trees in full bloom around the washington monument, as well as many of the neighborhoods now around washington. here's your forecast for this saturday. looks like today is is the best day for that. we'll have the cold temperatures warming into the low to mid-60s by midafternoon with lots of sunshine. terrific day. easter sunday and the morning, upper 40s. might get a few rain. high only around 60. today is the best day to get in your blossom viewing. maybe a brisk run, you'll need to larry up a bit. near 40 in washington. low to mid-40s around the bay. your exercise forecast for today, mid-50s by noon time. 60 by 1:00. it will warm quite quickly. mid 60s again 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. with lots of sunshine. just a little bit of a breeze coming in out of the north. and the trees are really starting to greenup is and producing a lot of pollen. i just took this photo in northwest washington 30 minutes ago. producing a lot of pollen. the tree pollen is in the high zone. pine, oak and maple tree pollen pre-t todominantl predominantly. and mold spores in the air. you pro

now the washington monument is back in business. the elevator broke down yesterday to trap visitors there for close to an hour. today, though, some of those who lined up for the ride up said they were nervous but they were determined to go for it. stephen tschida went out there and he went with them. >> all the tickets. >> open, on timed and the visitors lined up early for the ride to the top. >> fewer than 24 hour after the elevator came to an abrupt halt at 240 feet up. trapping close to two dozen visitors. the elevator took off again and the tour to the peak commenced. >> today is the structure. >> some of those two decided to go for it acknowledged they had some concerns. >> he said it took an hour when they were stuck in the elevator and going down. >> some people acknowledged they were nervous about riding up in the elevator. once they got up here they say it was worth it. >> i'm glad i'm up here. it's fantastic. >> they linger over the views which stretch for miles. but eventually those who went up had to come down. now the s

she spoke out against slavery, roseman mony for the washington monument. gathered papers, interviewed people who had known her husband. in 1848, she attended the washington monument and in the crowd were eliza hamilton, dolly madison and one-term congressman from illinois named abraham lincoln and you could see actually the founding generation and the civil war generation at that one moment, they meet and touch. >> rose: wow. so you know your history and your president and your founding fathers. >> yes. >> rose: and you are a recorder of the american experience. what do you know about rap music? >> i think it's safe to say when i first med lynn i was a completeig no ray mouse about hip-hop and rap. >> rose: and about him. lynn monroe? >> rose: yeah. he invited me back late in 2008. i found out from a mutual friend lynn read the book, it made an impression on him. >> rose: what was he to you? i was vaguely aware of his name but had not seen the show. so i heard this hip-hop artist was interested in my work and i said -- >> rose: so what did you think? >> i

mark barger, nbc >>> the washington monument is open again after its latest elevator malfunction.hat monument closed yesterday afternoon when the elevator got stuck at a level that's about 20 stories up. 19 people were in the elevator at the time but they were all able to get out and walk down to the stairs. it was a much longer hike for the 23 people up on the observation deck. they had to walk down nearly 900 steps. this is the ninth time in ten months the elevator has caused the national park service to close the washington monument. >>> coming up next, family and friends gathering tonight to remember a teenager shot down at a metro station. >>> plus a pint-sized hero. the honor for an impressive little girl who stronger is rebuildi s heart... and restoring a father's faith. it's standing tall after one surgery... not six. stronger is being a typical kid... despite a rare disorder. stronger is finding it earlier... and coming home sooner. stronger is seeking answers... and not g