peeking through. all around the region, we saw t in it in the shennendoah valley. it's in the upper 40s to near 50. closer to washington, montgomery, fairfax, prince georges, out of the mountains, much of the west virginia, maryland, mid 50s. we have quite a bit of cloudiness coming through. we'll have make a few breaks in the clouds later today. there's rain farther to our front now. that's rain that will be arriving in the metro area by around o'clock or 4:00 this afternoon and before then, we may climb to near 60 degrees by early afternoon. sunset, 4:47. a look at the evening planner in ten minutes. good morning. i-270 seeing congenton. heading towards clarksburg road southbound. further down at west montgomery avenue, still seeing a disabled vehicle. he is in the main lanes here on the right side of the roadway. but your lanes are open as you continue to head towards the spur. traveling on route 2, downed wires across the roadways, shutting down route 2 in both directions. this is between harwood road and route 255. choppers over the scene right now. you can see crews are working to remove the wires that are on the roadway for you. i'm going to keep watching this for you all morning long. but an alternative road for you is muddy creek road, 468 instead. >> danella, thanks very much. 6:02. right now, police are searching for a missing child in southeast d.c. the boy was last seen around 7:30 last night. police are now in the area of 5500 block of b street southeast, hoping to find the 10-year-old. and that's where news 4's megan mcgrath is live with more information. good morning. >> good morning, eun. police are still here on the scene. they're talking to family members trying to figure out exactly what may have happened, where this 10-year-old boy may be. now, this is a critical missing child alert. it was an alert that was put out by metropolitan police overnight. they're not releasing a lot of information here. for example, they have not released the name of the 10-year-old who is missing. this is, however, what we do know. he's 10 years old. he's described as a dark complexed african-american child, four feet tall, somewhere between 90 and 108 pounds. he was last seen wearing blue pants and a blue sweater and he was in the 5500 block of b street in southeast washington. it was 7:30 last night when he was last accounted for. police still here on the scene interviewing the family members, trying to figure out what happened and where this child may be. eun, back to you. >> megan mcgrath live in the southeast for us, thank you. 6:03 is the time out of iraq, a u.s. military marking the official end of the u.s. mission in iraq is wrapping up. the last u.s. and unit flags have been taken down. the final few thousand troops will be out of the country by the end of the year. defense secretary leon panetta just spoke to the last american troops in baghdad. >> this was one of the most complex, logistical undertakings in u.s. military history. 50,000 u.s. troops withdrawn seamlessly. dozens of bases closed or handed over. millions of pieces of equipment that had to be transferred. all while maintaining the security of our force s and the security of the iraqi people. >> more than 4,000 americans died fighting the war in iraq, which began almost nine years ago, and more than a million and a half americans served in iraq during that time. new from overnight, another attempt by lawmakers to reach a deal on a spending package. house republicans unveiled a $1 trillion bill they hope will avert a government shutdown and keep workers from being furloughed right before the holidays. the white house opposes several provisions of that legislation, though. it's urging congress to approve a short-term bill to keep the government running until a final resolution can be reached. lawmakers must come to some agreement by tomorrow night or the government will shut down. some federal workers are being told to prepare for the worst. >> they must continue to watch how they spend their money, what they do in terms of how they speak and it's just the same thing because after this one, there's going to be another one. >> some federal agencies including the commerce and justice department wouldn't be affected by a government shutdown because they've secured funding for 2012. new overnight, rescued freed 20 miners trapped underground in northern idaho. a spokesperson says a rock burst underground. earlier this year, two people died in separate incidents at the same mine. the mine is currently undergoing a $200 million project to deepen what is already one of the deepest mines in the country. five people are in the hospital this morning, hurt in a violent crash between a taxi cab and a metro bus. this happened last late night in the 3800 block of 12th street northeast near michigan avenue. police are trying to figure out who caused that crash. we're told that everyone injured in the crash, though, will be okay. and d.c. police are investigating an overnight stabbing in northeast washington. it happened just after 3:00 this morning. along clay terrace. we're told a woman was taken to the hospital with several stab wounds. her name and condition are not being released at this time. police do tell news 4 that the victim and the suspect knew each other. so far, no arrests had been made. today, the fairfax county school board will vote on allowing security cameras inside their high schools. the cameras would be placed in cafeterias, lobbies and other large gathering places. each school's principal would ultimately have the final say. those pushing for the cameras cite safety issues while opponents say it's an invasion of privacy. neighboring schools already use in-school cameras. 6:07 is the time. the official word of 2011. no, it's not occupy. >> do you want to know what it is? also, the word mitt romney used to describe newt gingerich is getting a lot of attention this morning. >> and when this wet weather could arrive, weather and [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. welcome back. it is 4g friday tomorrow. fans of the washington facebook page can win cash. tomorrow, one person will win $4,000. all you have to do is sign up on nbc washington's facebook page. you must enter weekly for a chance to win in friday's random draw drawing. good luck. if you want to look smart this morning, try slipping the word pragmatic intocations with family and friends. pragmatic is the word of the year. that means relating to words of practical affairs. practical as opposed to idealistic. the word was looked up so often this year that the company decided to be, well, pragmatic with its choice for word of the year. pragmatic was used often if conversations about politics and the economy. >> would occupy have been the artistic or the emotional choice, you know, not the pragmatic choice smp. >> that's right. exactly. 6:11. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. meteorologist tom kierein talking about a nice start to your day. >> a bit warmer. right now at 6:is 11, temperatures are in the 40s. most locations from the shennendoah valley to the chesapeake bay and the eastern shore. and closer to washington, mid 40s. montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince georges counties. we have rain way out farther to the west and the ohio valley, western pennsylvania down to kentucky, that's advancing east along a front. we may get a few breaks in and out this morning. overall, quite cloudy, but a bit milder. rain arice arriving mid to late afternoon and off and on through mid evening. as soon as that rain commences, we'll be right back down near 50 degrees fort rest of the evening. cold weather moves in tomorrow through the weekend. we'll look at that. how is traffic? >> keep in mind in you're traveling route 2, your closures are between harwood road and route 255. choppers in the area now not seeing many delays in that area. if you want to avoid it, police are blocking this intersection here. you might want to jump on 468 to continue north or south if that's your commute this morning. and if you're traveling in mcclain, virginia, still seeing westbound georgetown pike at 1234 south. your right lane is blocked there due to the crash in that area and the heavy areas on i-95. you're slow as you make your way on to the interchange. joe and eun, back to you. 6:13 now, 46 degrees. the photograph that has many military families outraged this morning. morning. and next, new research that and even though you do what you can to take care of it, sometimes you want to give your immune system some support. try new airborne chewable tablets. each serving contains 14 vitamins, minerals and herbs... including zinc, echinacea, ginger, and a blast of vitamin c. it's the easy, great-tasting way to help support your immune system. airborne. in fast-acting effervescent formula, and new super-convenient chewable tablets! a new study shows drivers who use hands free frown devices while driving are just as distracted as though uses handheld devices. the national transportation board says it does not matter whether your hands are free because your mind is still distracted center focusing on the road. they suggested banning cell phone use completely while driving, a move many drivers are not fans of. a recent survey showed that 40% do not consider it unsafe for drivers to use a hands free device while driving. a fire tore their a home in the 18,000 block of bilney drive. fire crews believe the fire started on the rear deck and extended to the roof. the roof suffered serious damage, but luckily no one was hurt. three people were injured when a school bus crashed into a building. this happened yesterday in a bus parking lot in waldorf. school officials say two female drivers got into an argument. they believe it stemmed from a judge refuse to go grant one of them a restraining order. it's unknown if the bus drivers was one of those injured. a judge sentenced to former national zoo employees for trying to poison ferrell cats. >> doctor, would you care to make any statements? >> i have no comment. >> nico dolfine received a 180 day sentence of practicebation and 120 hours of community service. she was a bird sperveist for the national zoo. she says she was deeply ashamed after disappointing so many people and with is working to repair the damage she caused. military officials are looking at a photo of one man posing to be dead in a military casket. the airmen in the photo are from the 345th training squadron based at lackland air force base in texas. several military commanders, military wives and widows say they are extremely offended by the photo. air force commanders are trying to figure out if the photo violates any rules or if it was just taken in poor taste. and now to decision 2012, the republican presidential candidates are getting ready to score the final scheduled debate before the iowa caucuses. romney is stepping up his attack on front-runner newt gingerich. he attacked gingerich's character in an interview with the "new york times." >> zany is great in a campaign. it's great on talk radio. it's great in the print. it makes for fun reading. but in terms of a president, we need a leader. >> and mitt romney said he would exhibit sobriety, stability and patience as a leader. >> they may live in the most prestigious address in america, but the first family reveals that it likes to sit down and watch tv like most other families. mrs. obama and sasha say their favorite tv show is the comedy, "manner family" and the president watches darker diagram maes, border and homeland. the family says despite the white house's technological marvels, they only recently got a dvr. >> what would we do? we couldn't watch tv without one. >> i never watch tv at night. time anyhow for weather and traffic on the ones. tom, good morning to you. >> good morning. that's not a misprint on your screen. that is 46 gles here predawn on this mid-december morning. we'll take it. in fact, it's in the 40s throughout the entire region, except out of the mountains of western married, west virginia, it's in the mid tlirts there. we will stay this way for another couple of hours or so then actually get warmer a little later today. over the last 12 hours, we've had a lot of cloudiness coming through. but a few breaks in the clouds this morning, we may have a little bit of sunshine in and out. farther west, this is an area of rain that stretches into pennsylvania and southern ohio. indiana and kentucky, that's along a front that will be coming our way later today. between now and then, mostly cloudy. we'll be in the 50s by noon time. near 60 degrees by early afternoon. sunset at 4:47. by sunset, bel be right back to around 50 as we get some of that light rain from time to time. hold steady near 50 by the rest of the evening. tomorrow morning, near 40. partly sunny friday near 50. getting colder friday afternoon and evening. predawn saturday, we could get a little bit of wet snow. i say a little bit. i don't think it's going to be cold enough for it to stick at all. but we could have a few snowflakes especially across northern virginia. highs 40s. sunny sunday, 20s in the morning, afternoon highs into the mid 40s. then monday/you thes, could get rain wednesday. danel danella, how is traffic? >> we have some good news in mcclain, virginia. that accident is clear, out of the roadway, but still seeing big delays. you can tell hov lanes are packing up, as well. making your way on to 395 is not so bad. this is the view at duke street. crossing over the 14th street bridge. volume is increasing just a bit, but you're clear as you make your way to the city. that trip is taking 14 minutes. joe and eun, back to you. the. >> danella, thanks. ahead, ready to talk? but not for free. how much casey anthony reportedly wants for a no holds barred interview. and next, a car comes crashing through the front of a store. why police say this was no accident. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪ that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. ♪ with your help, we can reach 20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. [ female announcer ] get 0 percent apr financing on select models for thirty-six months and we'll donate two-hundred and fifty dollars to your choice of five charities. now through january 3rd. il, any luck finding a car? not yet. i want to buy used but how do you know what you're really getting. check out carmax. all their used cars are guaranteed. that's where henderson found the one for him. way to go, henderson. finding the perfect car is easy at carmax because each car is carefully selected, inspected, thoroughly reconditioned and backed with a five-day money back guarantee so come find the one for you today, at carmax. way to go, neil. welcome back. it's 6:25. a pickup truck slammed into a convenience store. this is security video of friday's crash. the driver, 40-year-old eric whitacre was chasing a woman after a fight. after the crash, whitacre jumped out of the truck, left the store, stole an suv and crashed head on into a bread truck. whitacre is in the hospital in critical condition. once he recovers, police plan to charge him. the first tv interview with casey anthony will reportedly cost $750,000. that's according to a hollywood reporter. that's what a producer is trying to get for anthony's first interview since being acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, caylee. casey anthony is currently somewhere in the state of florida. she's serving probation for an unrelated check and fraud case. it is now 6: 26. a new push to find a dangerous man wanted for eight rapes and a high profile murder. what's being done to track him down. also on tape, a local family caught by a i believe that the fundamental dream of all of humanity is to be able to give our children a better life. today, the iraqi people move closer to realizing that dream. >> milestone morning, the war in iraq is now officially over. >> and serial rapist, this morning, investigators are making a new push to solve a cold case. one suspect connected to ten sickening crimes. good morning. welcome back to news 4 today. i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang. let's take a live look right now outside at 6:30. it is 46 degrees. tom says it is that warm outside right now in our area. >> it's not that warm, but you're watching us all over the region. shennendoah valley, we're in the 40s this time of the region. it feels balmy. we have a southerly wind to thank for that. it is out of the south-southwest around 10 miles per hour. that's bringing in the warmer weather. it's going to be with us here briefly for today. enjoy our brief break from our usual winter chill. right now, 40s. shennendoah valley in the 30s. southern maryland around the bay, northern neck as well as the nearby suburbs, around washington, and we have a lot of clouds coming in ahead of a front that is triggering rain. that area of color on the left of your screen, that's rain from new york state into western pennsylvania, ohio, kentucky, indiana, that front is going to be sweeping our way here by later this afternoon. between now and then, we may see a little bit of sun in and out, but overall, a lot of clouds. sunrise at 1719. mild into the mid 50s by noon time. rain into the metro area into the evening hours. as soon as the rain commences, though, we'll be right back down near 50 degrees. colder into the tomorrow and the weekend. we'll look at that as well as the chance of snow saturday morning. details coming up in this half hour. danella, how is traffic? >> you are on the hot brakes, outer loop of the beltway. your delays start ago you approach new hampshire avenue. again, heavy on the brakes towards georgia avenue. travel speed is about 35 miles per hour in this area. i-95 in virginia, pohick road, very, very slow as you make your way towards the interchange. travel speeds in this area, 35 miles per hour. and to get from prince william parkway to the beltway, it will take you 22 minutes to do so. joe and eun, back tu. >> danella, thanks. right now, police are searching for a missing child in southeast washington. pris are now in the area of the 5500 block of b street hoping to get the 10-year-old. the boy was last seen around 7:30 last night. police are working to get flyers made and distributed in the area. the missing 10-year-old african-american boy is described to have a dark complexion. he is about four feet tall and 90 pounds. he was last seen wearing blue pants and a blue sweater. if you have any information, police call d.c. police. this morning, thousands of workers are being told to tighten their budget just days before the holidays because of a government shutdown. all because congress cannot agree on the government. melissa has the latest on this. >> this latest debate, as you mentioned, comes at a very tough time for folks. lawmakers are at odds over a payroll tax cut extension. both sides say they want one but they cannot agree on who will foot the bill. t if they don't reach a compromise by friday, more than 1 million workers could reach furloughs. house republicans unveiled a $1 trillion spending package, but the white house opposes several parts of that legislation and is urging congress to approve a short-term bill. maryland congressman donna edwards and d.c. congresswoman eleanor norton said wednesday evening, briefing federal workers, urging them to watch their spending until the situation is resolved. >> we all work hard, government .nongovernment. and just give us a chance to do our jobs without having to get encumbered by all this political debate. >> most of us don't have a lot of savings. we have some, but not enough to carry us for the length of time like it did on the last furlough. >> now, the office of personal management is answering employee questions online. they have all kinds of information on their website about pay, about leave, retirement and benefits. lawmakers must come to some sort of an agreement by midnight tomorrow night or, yes, the government could shut down. back to you. >> melissa reporting live from the news room, thanks very much. this is the predawn raid that began the u.s. war in iraq more than eight years ago in march 2003. today, the u.s. mission ended with a military ceremony. the last u.s. flags are now down. the final few thousand troops are preparing to leave the country by the end of the year. u.s. secretary of defense leon panetta spoke to soldiers. >> we are not about to turn our backs on all that has been sacrificed and accomplished. and we will not allow those who will seek to undermine success to have their way. but in the end, this is not about the united states. rather today is about iraq. >> fewer than 00 soldiers will remain as part of the diplomatic mission. the man accused of firing several shots at the white house will be back in court tomorrow. a federal judge set the hearing yesterday so he could hear more evidence about oscar ramiro's mental health. a preliminary psychiatric screening found him competent to stand trial, but federal prosecutors are asking for more extensive tests. the 21-year-old idaho man is charged with attempt to go assassinate the president. police in vienna, virginia, want your help for finding this man. he's wanted for credit card fraud. police believe he used a woman's credit card in several locations last month. d.c. councilman marion barry is once again in hot water for failing to pay his taxes. the irs filed a lien on barry's home in southeast washington. he owes more than $3,200 in unpaid taxes for 2010. the former mayor is on probation for failure to pay other taxes. the irs started garnishing his council paycheck to pay back the money. he also owes the direct tax money and is already on a payment plan. mrs. there's apparently one less thing d.c. council member harry thomas will have to worry about right now and that's his student loans. his recent agreement with the federal government to make monthly payments to repay those loans. he reportedly still owes about $16 now it is on loans he took out in the 1980s. federal investigators are looking to see whether or not he diverted funds for personal use. occupy d.c. protesters are getting into the holiday spirit tonight by protesting what they call grinches at the chamber of commer commerce. demonstrators are gather in front of the chamber where party for republican national committee will be going on. the "today" show is coming up tonight at 7:o'clock. let's check in to see what they're working on this morning. >> joe, good morning to you. you just saved me. ann was going to start to tell me a long story, so i'm happy about that. >> you know, are we already going to start our morning like that? you know, come on. >> that's okay. meanwhile, coming up on a thursday morning, we are following serious news. breaking news in baghdad where a ceremony was held just a short time ago to bring an end to the nearly nine-year-long u.s. war in iraq. we're there live. then senator john mccain will share his thoughts on the war when he joins us live. also ahead, a major change is coming up on your facebook page. it's called timeline. we're going to debut it. then michael jackson's daughter opens up about growing up with his famous father. then we'll have oscar winner sandra bullock will join us in our studio as we get started here on a thursday. >> thanks very much, matt. now you get back to ann. you only have 22 minutes, though. >> and sthen another time. and a few years after that. >> this is really interesting. >> thank you, joe. >> see you later. bye-bye. >> they have a similar relationship to us. >> they do, yes. >> can we get to a commercial now? >> i was going to say, and joe, by the way. all right. it is now 6:38. 46 degrees. a new push in a cold case. how police are reaching out trying to catch a man who terrorized local women. also the video police help will help catch two vandals who went wild in one local family's yard. good morning. live picture from our city camera showing capitol hill in the distance under a mostly cloudy sky on this thursday morning. and it's a bit milder this morning. good morning, i'm tom kierein in storm center 4. right now, around the region, we are in the low to mid 40s in much of the area. around the bay b it's near 50 degrees. and later today with a front approaching from the midwest, we'll have thiblgenning clouds and maybe a little sun in and out this morning in early afternoon. but that front arriving mid to late afternoon around the metro area bringing in a likely passing rain showers. before then, though, up near 60 degrees. overnight tonight, the rain around should be ending by about 9:00. after that, we'll hover near 50 on a cloudy sky. snow predawn saturday as well as into next week. that will be in the next ten minutes. how is traffic, danella? >> just got a report of an accident, the inner loop at college park seeing significant delays. you're jammed on the inner loop of the beltway. passing college park as you make your way towards bw parkway. you can see bumper to pumper. i'm going to keep watching this for you and let you know when the road clears up just a bit. traveling 66 east, aas well. you're slow as you may your way to sully road. on i-95, still jammed at pohick road. those delays continue on to 395. travel speed in that area, 36 miles per hour. now back to you all. >> thanks, danella. it is now 6:43. take a good look at this police sketch. this morning, the fbi will officially launch a campaign to catch this man. investigators believe he is a serial rapist. he's akugsed of attacking nearly a dozen women in the d.c. area. tracey wilkins is live along canal road in georgetown where one of the victims was killed. tracey, good morning. good morning ppts a new day when it comes to opening up resources. police have a multitude of resources to use. in this case, they're going to use everything from dna test to social media to catch this rapist and killer. this was the picture released back in 1998 of the so-called potomac river rapist. christine was attacked, sexually assaulted and struck multiple times in the head with a boulder and left for dead. it happened on canal road near the whitehurst roadway. the rapist's m.o. included throwing a towel or a blanket of his victim's head so they doont get a good look at him. police believe this man may still be living among us. he's most likely in his 40s or 50s now. some of the same techniques used to catch the east coast rapist will now be used in this case. federal authorities will announce today that their effort to catch this man will include a $25,000 reward, a dedicated website, digital billboards up and down the east coast and social media alerts on twitter, youtube, pod casts on itunes and radio spots. now, they're saying that anyone who believes that they have information should call them and provide that information to federal authorities and montgomery candidate police. they're saying that because of this dna evidence they have, it will be easy for them to eliminate folks who are not the suspect they're looking for. tracee wilkins, live this morning in the northwest. back to you all in the pseudo. >> tracey, thanks so much. the fbi's campaign is similar to the campaign that helped catch the east coast rapist. investigators created a website and used electronic billboards to help catch aaron thomas. he was arrested less than a week after the campaign was launched. dna evidence links thomas to the rapes and attacks on 17 women from virginia to new england. he faces several life sentences if he's convicted of the attacks in virginia. fairfax county police are hoping surveillance video will help them had he had them to two teen agers who destroyed a home's krimgs decorations. you can see the teenagers taking a bat and swinging at the decorations on the front lawn. the homeowners establishment the total damage is about $7,000. the two teenagers destroyed seven inflatable decorations and 10,000 lights. the homeowners say this normally jolly time of the year is now ruined thanks to these vandals. >> christmas is special to us. and the display is special and ruining something like a christmas display just isn't right. >> i don't understand it. i was a kid once, too, and did dumb things. this is well beyond that. another one with information is asked to call fairfax county police. the lesters used three miles of extension cords to light up a quarter of a million lights. their electric pill this month, about $2,500. police are on the hunt for thieves who took a baby statue from a nativity scene. it happened in fredericks berg. to prevent another step, the officials filled the statue with concrete, but that didn't deter the chiefs. there were tire tracks on the scene, proving a vehicle was used in the crime. five people are in the hospital this morning injured in a violent crash between a taxi cab and a metro bus. it happened last light night near michigan avenue. police are still trying to figure out who caused the crash. we're told that everyone injured will be okay, though. today, the fairfax county school board will vote on allowing security cameras inside their high school. the cameras would be placed in cafeterias, localbieses and other large gathering places. each school's principal would ultimately have the final say. opponents say ice an invasion of privacy. neighbors public school systems already use in-school cameras. plans for the first whole foods markets are on hole. developers plan to use the town center. now those developers have asked the county zoning board to delay today's zoning meeting until next month. the developers want to hammer out a deal over environmental concerns before moving forward with their zoning request. it is now 6:49. the government's annual crash test ratings are out this morning. this year, a lot of automakers have reason to be happy. krnz's jackie de-ainge his has more on that. jackie, good morning. >> good morning to you. yeah, on the roads, a record number of vehicles earning the highest marks for safety. the insurance institute for highway safety gave 115 vehicles its top crash test rating. notably, toyota posted the most names on that list, but every major carmaker had at least one vehicle that got a top grade. one of the reason for the top marks this year, manufacturers redesign the roofs of their vehicles to make them more able to with stand rollover crashes. if you haven't finished your holiday shopping for the kids, you might be in luck. toys are us is announcing all of its stores will stay open for 112 straight hours next week. toys are us stores won't close until 10:00 p.m. christmas eve so look for some of those promotions during some of those days. eun, back over to you. >> jackie, thank you. well, there appears to be a side effect to this year's busy holiday shopping season. and that is buyer's remorse. shoppers waited in long lines to scoop up bargain deals and toys and clothes and tvs. but that spending spree turned into a bit of a holiday hangover, apparently. shoppers are start to go return irresistible discounted items that surpassed their budgets. the national retail federation says for every dollar stores brought in, they will have to give back near 10 cents in returns. tis the season for holiday decorations. last night, i was on hand to take part in a very special holiday tradition in montgomery county. i was part of the tree lighting ceremony in the rockville town square. i'm happy to be there. santa was on hand as well as the walter johnson high school choir, dance studio and musical center. it was a lovely event. santa was a hit. >> i'll bet. >> oh, my goodness, they were trying to yell out toy requests and all kinds of stuff. and that's not even including the kids. >> exactly. a i bet it was stuff is to get an appointment with him last night. he was a very popular man. >> ae un, are you going to come down our chimney christmas morning? good for you for doing that. everything is looking festive now, but it doesn't feel much like wintertime on this thursday morning. temperatures throughout the region are near the average highs that we get in december. right now at reagan national, under a brightening sky, it's at 45 degrees. few breaks in the eastern horizon. we may get a beautiful sunrise here, but that will be in about a half an hour. we've had it turning more humid, too. so you won't be using the skin lotion as much today. right now, we're into the 40s from the shennendoah valley all the way into the bay and the atlantic beaches. mid 40s, montgomery, arlington, fairfax and prince gornlgs counties in most locations. farther to the west out of the mountains, there are a few sprinkles there yesterday as well as parts of the region overnight. in the mountains, it's in the 30s. farther west, this is the line of rain that is beginning to move off to the east. that's along a front that will be arriving here later today. but between now and then, we may see sunshine. sunrise at 7:19. temperatures soaring into the 50s by noon time, getting near 60 degrees by early afternoon. then mid to late afternoon, maybe some rain coming into the metro area. earlier in the day, out of the mountains, rain around should be dispainting by 9:00. as soon as it starts raining, though, by late afternoon, we'll drop back down to near 50 and hold steady near 50 through the evening been by dawn tomorrow, near 40. partly sunny friday and near 50. predawn friday night, predawn saturday, might get snow around the metro area and points south, but i don't think we'll have any accumulation. sun back saturday afternoon and chilly. mid 40s and sunny, chilly into next week maybe rain wednesday. if you're traveling bw parkway southbound, had an accident at pennsylvania avenue. that accident is out of the roadway. but you're still seeing delays as you head over the 50 split and head towards pennsylvania avenue. inner loop of the beltway, at college park, some delays around route 1. very slow hitting the brakes towards bw parkway. that's a slow trip. outer loop, you start to slow down around new hampshire avenue. heavy on the brakes. those delays continue to georgia avenue. travel speed in that area, just 27 miles per hour. joe and eun, back to you. >> danella, thanks very much. 6:53 right now. police are searching for a missing child in southeast washington. police are now in the area of the 5500 block of b street hoping to find a 10-year-old. the boy was last seen around 7:30 last night. police are now working to get flyers made and distributed in that area. the missing 10-year-old african-american boy is described to have a dark complex. he is about four feet tall and 90 points. the boy was last seen wearing blue pants and a blue sweater. if you have any information, police called d.c. police. d.c. police are investigating an overnight stabbing in the northeast. we're told the woman was taken to the hospital with several stab wounds. her name and condition are not being released at this time. police tell us the victim and the suspect do know each other. so far, no arrests have been made. new from overflight, another attempt by lawmakers to reach a deal on a spending package. house republicans have unveiled a $1 trillion bill they hope will avert a government shutdown and keep thousands of federal workers from being furloughed right before the holidays. the white house opposes several provisions of that legislation. it's urging congress to approve a short-term bill to keep the government running until a final resolution can be reached. lawmakers must come to some agreement by tomorrow night or the government will shut down. some federal workers are being told to prepare for the worst. >> they must continue to watch how they spend their money, what they the do in terms of how they speak, and it's just the same thing because after this one, there's going to be another one. >> some federal agencies, including the commerce and justice departments wouldn't be affected by a government shutdown because they've secured funding for 2012. breaking news out of the iraq this morning, today, the united states mission officially ended with the military ceremony. the final u.s. flags are now down. the final few thousand troops are getting ready to leave that country by tend of the year. the u.s. secretary of defense leon panetta told iraqis that the united states remains a committed friend. >> this is a time for iraq to look forward. this is an opportunity for iraq to forge ahead on the path to security and prosperity. and we undertake this transition today reminding iraq that it has, in the united states, a committed friend and a committed partner. >> fewer than 200 soldiers will remain in iraq as part of the diplomatic mission next year. >> an out the door forecast, tom, a nice way to start our day. >> a brief break from our usual winter chill. afternoon highs near 60. we could get showers after that midafternoon into the evening hours. colder weather on friday, up near 50 and turning colder friday afternoon and evening. might get a little bit of wet snow predawn saturday and then some sun back saturday afternoon and into sunday. but colder for the weekend. and that's the way it looks. >> thanks very much, tom. that is news 4 today. thank you for starting your day with us. >> the "today" show is next. have a great day.