Transcripts For WRC News4 Midday 20171207

Saturday, something you wont want to miss coming up in my forecast. News4 midday starts now. Good morning everyone im molette green. And im erika gonzalez. We are falling news on ts west bank. Take a look at the clashes. The leader of hamas is falling for anger as President Trump decision. And Richard Engel takes us into the streets. Reporter this is in response to President Trump speech. Palestinian are taken to the streets and using fires as smoke screen to give them some sort of protection. And we are not just seeing this where i am in the west bank, several cities in the west bank that are seeing very similar ramallah and going on for hours and perhaps a great deal longer than that. A new uprising, new way of getting their demands. They say that the Peace Process which theyve been engaged in for decades is no longer working. They say with that speech by President Trump, the u. S. Has proven itself not to it be a fair mediator in the conflict. So now they are trying a different approach taking to the streets. Richard engel, nbc use. We also have breaking news out of d. C. Double shooting, this is not far from ballou high school. The victims include one man and woman. Injuries do not appear to be life threatening. We do have a crew in that direction and update for you when it becomes available. Also keeping an ion the senate floor at this history. In about 45 minutes speak on his future in washington. Multiple women have come forward recently accusing franken of unwanted touching, groping, and forcible kissing. Yesterday several democrat senators called for him to resign. Look for updates on this story throughout the newscast and on nbc washington app. Now to our weather, seems like its gotten a little bit colder every day since tuesday. And we hear even Colder Weather is headed our way. So i want to check in with amelia for our forecast. Its chilly. It is chilly right now. At 47 degrees. But by this afternoon normal tem furs for this time of year. Highs later today warming into the low 50s. So take a look. Cloudiness moving in, and trepd as we head into the afternoon. So 2 00 around 50 degrees. 4 00 hit high for today at about 4 45 we cool off quickly tonight. 6 00 p. M. Already down to a chilly 46 degrees. But all in all the weather having a low impact on your thursday. Nice for exercise. Walking the dog. And for the after school activities. But mow lel ilette im getting information and have the latest coming up after 11 20. Amelia, thank you so much. As the temperatures go down, the risk that youll see more water main breaks, it goes up. Right. So road crews around our area are bracing for that. News 4 megan mcgraph is it live in hiyattville with a look at whatever weather has in store for us. Right . Reporter right. And you have so watch the temperatures. And worst thing that can happen is fluctuation in temperatures, warm and cold and back and forth and here they have the brand new pipes ready to go. They say they are ready for whatever Mother Nature brings. Fixing a broken water main. Its time consuming work. And you never know what youll find until you actually get a look at the pipe. We wont know what we come across until we get down to the bottom of the ground until we hit the main. Sometimes its fast, and sometimes its a few hours. Reporter with winter upon us we are in the height of the water main break season. Averages 1800 a year with the vast majority happening between november and february. And no magic that alerts when a pipe breaks. They need people to report problems. Anything we need to know. Sooner that we know, the faster we can actuall it. And it doesnt have to be a gusher to make a report. Sometimes the water main is leaking and problem spot could be distance away. The reports of even minor pooling can be important. Using microphones crews can sound for trickling water and find the leak. We may have four or five crews and we use the equipment to pinpoint it because its two blocks away. Reporter and there is a really easy wa to report the problem. Download the mobile app, hit report a problem, and take a picture of whatever you see, then you send it through the app, wssc will get the picture and exactly location off of the phone. So again the important thing here is that you report these things because wssc needs to know where th before they can second their crews out. And they have a lot of prep work that needs to be done. You have to locate electricity before you start digging and repairing the pipe. So the sooner you report these things, sooner they get the report ux the the better. Back to you guys. Thank you for that report. You know, it was a chaotic morning on the road. First 4 traffic working for you tracking three separate crashes in maryland shut down roads. Lanes were blocked in hyattville shut down between briggs road. Suv crashed. Chopper 4 flew over the scene this morning. This is in the area of cookcy road on Maryland Route 6. Police say multiple vehicles were involved in morning. Sadly, one person died and two others transported to area hospitals. And chopper 4 was also over this crazy seen in laurel Prince George county multiple cars involved creating scary situation in the parking lot of this sheetz gas station at route 197, pretty busy intersection. No word on what is the cause. Look for the updates in our nbc washington app. First on 4 getting answers about local woman who disappeared without a trace. Pamela butler lived and worked in d. C. And itsds been nine years since anyone has seen her. In october butler boyfriend pleaded guilty and now that man jose cruise is leading detectives to her remains. This week theyll begin searching an area. And while butlers brother plans to be here, he knows this wont be easy. If someone dies of a natural death, but for somebody to be snatched away or killed, i dont think you get closure from that. Reporter Rodriguez Cruz serving a tenyear sentence that he leads the investigators to her remains. But they are looking forward to get the remains and doing the right thing. Well, waiting to hear more about overnight Fatal Shooting in d. C. Police say a person was killed about 11 00 last night not far from the bridge point hospital. Well update you as we learn more. Right now investigators in Montgomery County are looking into a fire that they say appears to be a case of arson. Officers on patrol say they heard a blast and they were the first to respond to the burning home. All right. At the scene not far from old georgetown. Justin . Reporter hey, there, erika, this is place right place right time. They trace it here to this townhome this blast. They show fire from the picture window and already one person escaped. So the rescue effort here happened quickly because still one woman trapped inside. From the front this town haul appears to be sturdy except for the blown out windows quietly catching the wind. But this morning some neighbors off cedarwood drive had no idea how this happened. Im just surprised. I didnt see it. And, wow, its scary. Police officers on patrol actually heard the explosion. They got here so quickly, in fact, two people were still in the house. Reporter those alert officers charging into action, calling Montgomery County fire whole street was lined with firefighting equipment. Reporter one person in the home escaped unharmed. The victim was a woman detained and taken to the hospital. Now a person of interest in whats being investigated az investigated as arson. Looking at something being involved, something created an explosion. Reporter a motive is still unclear. Many neighbors didnt want to speak on camera but tell us the family in this corner home is quiet and keeps to themselves. And as you heard that woman now a person of interest in this investigation. She was detained and taken to the hospital with burns and other injuries. We are told her condition is serious but her injuries are not life threatening. And charges in this investigation could come soon. The damage t 50,000. Im justin finch news4 back into you. Justin, thank you. Developing out of Southern California this Massive Wildfire expected to get worse. Some spots are seeing hurricane strength winds today. And thats spreading embers miles away. Well get an update in the next half hour. And the Insurance Institute is out with its top safety picks, the results as a whole are pretty good. Pretty good news for anybody who drives. Well ll you more about it te z2i1zz z16fz y2i1zy y16fy a busy shopping season even on local military bases, army, air force and Navy Exchange stores offer tax Free Shopping for local military families and they are packed this time of year. And as Scott Mcfarland reports, much like traditional retailers, military exchanges are also targeted by thieves. Reporter military exchanges are popular with military members and retirees, including this one, the Navy Exchange here in bethesda, you get popular items for discount prices. Its a deserved service for those who serve. But news4 iteam show these military exchanges are not to have limits for criminals. Crux stole more than a million clarz in military exchanges across the country just last year, and in nearly 800 cases found thieves in military virginia, including this brazen from norfolk. Say theft happens nationwide, stiem sometimes by the military members orchids or even by the employees. Most of the shoplifters, they shop lift once, theyll do it twice. So if we dont get it first time, well get secretary timed. Reporter tonight part of the report, what are some of the popular items for thieves. Tan what punishment, criminal and military do you face if you are caught stealing from inside. For now in bethesda, Scott Mcfarland, news4 iteam. We are now hearing from the family of a 11yearold boy in critical boil after police are calling terrible accident. Boy was at a neighbors house when the man watching him accidentally shot him. 33yearold former military member told police he was putting away his legally own gun when it went off. In the upper body. The boys family released a statement thanking everybody for well wishes, asking for privacy and prayers for their son. Right now ha Frederick County bridge is closed in maryland and News Partners say it could stay that way for the next month. Yesterday a garbage truck hit the 355 bridge over the river causing some damage there as crews were working on it but no time table for when that work will be complete. In the meantime, traffic reroute ed in both directions. We are working to find a solution on the high tolls. Inside the beltway lou den county will return to the three hour rush window. In the meantime, drivers are changing commute that save on tolls that that motivating one Northern Virginia man to do something on facebook. It makes fee feme feel bette because they share their ride with the community and environment and they get to go to work in a faster pace. Drivers can pick up riders at the vienna station, v dot says the lanes were working. They were to keep traffic moving. So not only will lower tools make your morning commute smoother, but having a safe car is almost a must for morning drives. The Insurance Institute came out with picks for the safest cars of 2018. Nbc dan has more on next years selection. Reporter the Insurance Institute fori which conducts Safety Standards says its pleased how well manufacturers are making the grade. This year 62 vehicle models earn the Institute Top safe pick award despite enhanced passenger side protection. Most drivers when they buy a car they think their passenger is going to be protect ds as well as they are. So our new test is to try to achieve that. Reporter to earn the award, vehicles go through crash tests to show how they can protect occupants as well as testing automatic braking systems. 15 vehicles meeting these new tougher criteria is a good news story for consumers. Reporter leading the way this year for most top safety pick awards are hyundai and subaru. Quickly when they need to modify their vehicles to protect their customers. Reporter continued priority for the driving public. Dan, nbc news. Homework for the holidays. Why this isnt a bad idea for your kids . And time is running out on capitol hill. The house needs to take action today or part of the government could be shut down. A look at what nee kids will have plenty of toys to play with this Holiday Season, but what about the school work . Nonprofit in our area making sure that some of your little ones can keep up with their studies over the long Holiday Season break. I spent the morning with the folks from sight for children working on this special collection. Still packing away 200 winter take home kits going to students at two d. C. Schools, fight for children is leading this effort here. Keith gordon is the keo joining us to talk about whats inside that will help these young tears over the holiday break. Right. 3 and 4yearold students we have two different books, this is spanish reading materials, something that theyll be used to reading in class, practice at home with families. Also have acting. Reporter fight for children is Advocacy Group started with fight night and evolved into all kinds of things to be enhanced educationally. Tell me what else you do to support children . Well, when we first started, we really started with advocacy and policy work. We moved into health care, education reform. We really have focused on Early Childhood for the last five years. And a big component of that is volunteering with a lot of the people you see here, in schools, and with our school partners. So reading to kids, helping to turn around classrooms and do projects, just being part of the School System and helping teachers enhance the opportunity and environment for kids. Which means the students, its a winwin for young people. Absolutely. So these kids going to 165 students at two d. C. Schools. Go go to be delivering them next week. That can grow with a lot of organizations giving children just some supplies to work on over the holidays. Some fun stuff in education. Sure. I think its a good idea. All right. Storm 4 meteorologist Amelia Draper talking about when the best chances lie in the coming day. Talking snoel. Erika start doing your snow dance. You have a snow dance . Excuse me, my snow boots just came in last night. Im ready. So speaking about snow, new information coming in right now on looking like a better chance for rain and snow out there on saturday, especially along 95. Ill show you future weather. But this afternoon not that bad out there, pretty normal for this time of year, with high temperatures around 50. It will be colder tomorrow. Highs only in the low 40s. So thats first weather head line. Especially cold on sunday, here watching the snow chances for saturday. Then next week just frigid out there especially for the middle part of the week. Ill have more on that coming up a little later right around 11 40 but currently temperatures coming in mid to upper 40s. From 47 to washington and 46 in cold pepper. High of 52 with just a few clouds and really nice thursday afternoon. As we look to the friday notice the colder temperatures. Start off the day at 34. Mostly cloudy skies throughout the day. Friday night dry for the plans but chilly out there with a temperature of 37. Here is future weather. Its been a while since we talked about really the chances for rain and snow mix. But heres 5 00 a. M. , so the pink is going to be mix of rain and snow. Thats pretty much every where here p and remember this is just one computer model. We look at many. But i want to show youat now as well. So as we head on into the midmorning hours, notice the chance for some wet snowflakes to mix with rain as we start to see more white. Even 5 00 in the evening, still seeing the chance for mix of rain and snow. The biggest impact will be east of 95. This is not a guarantee but certainly starting to look like more and more of a possibility. Ill have more coming up in a few minutes. And of course later tonight on news4 at 4, 5, 6, doug and i will have the latest as we have all the information at that point. All right. Thank you. Getting exciting around here. Shes getting excited around here. Great. Staying on top of the one of the top soars we are following now, still waiting to hear from senator al franken expected to make a statement on the senate floor in a matter of minutes. Thats right. The senator is facing Sexual Misconduct allegations and growing number of lawmakers calling on him to resign. Well bring you the statement when it happens. And also following the latest developments out Southern California. Today there are fears that winds could reach hurricane strength and intensity. And already huge and destructive right now new evacuation orders are in place in southern winds are likely to add fuel to wildfires there. Just incredible scene. Firefighters struggling to keep the thomas fire from inching into the resort town of ojai. Gin a kim is on the front lines. Reporter the brush fire is 296. This is highest number ive ever seen in my career. Reporter more than 4,000 firefighters are on the front lines fighting the flames from the ground and the sky. Four separate fires continue to burn out of control from ventura to los angeles burning hundreds of buildings and threatening thousands more, including those in the brentwood neighborhoods. Residents so far escaped the flames arent taking any changes. Putting out hot spots with a garden hose. We are so forth. Reporter other residents barely got out with the clothes on their backs. You can see the flames coming up, and that was it, we were out of here. We didnt take anything. God wanted him and i guess he wanted my house too. Reporter the fire destroyed her home and her late husbands ashes. I ran out. Reporter fire unimaginable, they would have no choice to evacuate go over firefighting. News4, Southern California. Celebrations after par marriage after the nation. After a long and bitter debate the house of representatives passed the bill yesterday and is changing the definition of marriage there to the union of two people. Should take effect in a month and weddings happening soon after. Today marks 76 years since the attack on pearl harbor. More than 2,000 people died december 7, 1941. Today is National Museum at the United States navy in southeast, visitors will have a chance to hear eyewitness accounts of the attack. The museum has also set up a Virtual Reality experience of the uss arizona that includes artifacts from that day. A deal on a short term spending bill. Theyll meet this afternoon on the white house. The current spending bill expires midnight tomorrow. They will vote on a bill. Without a spending bill the government will shut down and that will impact thousands of federal workers in our area. New this morning fbi chief christopher rayon capitol hill dpeending staff at a time his agency is under fierce attack. There is no shortage of opinions out there. What i can tell you is that the fbi that i see is tens of thousands of agents and analysts and staff working their tails off to keep americans safe from the next terrorist attack, gang violence, child predators, spies from russia, chooun, north korea, and iran. The fbi that i see is tens of thousands of brave men and women who are working as hard as they can to keep people that they will never know safe from harm. Days ago President Trump tweeted his view that the fbis reputation is bias on fbi agent that handled the russia investigation and Hillary Clinton email. Mueller removed him from the investigation months ago. Water mains this winter. After the break well show you what you can do to protect the water pipes in your home. And a meal yeah is back with a look at the cold weekend ahead. Right now in the 40s. Will we make it to 50 . Stay withs. U the chances of pipes freezing and bursting in your home goes way up. Yeah. But there are some simple things that we can all do to prevent a flooding disaster. Nbcs jeff rosen has reporter pipes bursting, hoses leaking, this Home Flooding with water, damaging almost everything in sight, and experts say this could happen to your house. According to the Insurance Company chubb, homeowners are 40 more likely to experience water damage during the winter than any other time of the year. To show you the kind of damage we are talking about here, we set up an experiment inside this house. Come on inside. This is actually a flood house. A house thats been built to be flooded to replicate what it looks like if your pipes burst or if they leak. They have all the trappings of home. Come into the kitchen we have jim here who is a risk and flood expert. Why does this happen in the winter . Because in the wintertime the water in the pipes gets cold, freeses and frozen water expands and burst. Reporter water goes every where . Every where. Out and see. In just seconds flooding through the water. We are just three minutes. Look at the floor, already flooded ouchlt imagine if th flooded out. Imagine if this was your scene. Five minutes and water seeping out under the fridge and moving towards the carpet. But upstairs in master bath room the worst damage. This is crazy, just from the toilet that one little hose water is already moving into the bedroom. So much water gushing out, its even raining down into the garage below. In just 30 minutes, thousands of dollars in damage. So how can you prevent this from happening to you . Tip number one, insulate your pipes. Starting here in the garage, why . Because this is pipe exposed to the cold weather and can freeze. Reporter what are you supposed to do . By simple insulation 20 cents a foot, do this over the top and thats it. Even i can do this. Reporter even you this. Now in the laundry room, big tip, no rubber hoses. What happened here . We are looking at hoses that supply to the machine which is rubber. Reporter rubber is bad. Thats the tips. Go around and make sure the hoses arent rubber. What should we have . Steel braided hoses cost about 10 each. Reporter cheap. But in the kitchen two most common and household leaks. At the sink. Shut off the valve. I suggest once a week you move your hand along the leaks. Reporter if there is what do i do . Shut off the valve. Turn it so its horizontal to the direction of the pipe. Reporter and that should shut the water off . Yes. Reporter and leaking fridge, look for puddles. What should i do . Once a month pull it out and reporter ill do it now. Im not that strong. Greta friend or neighbor to help you. You are saying once a month come back here and look for puddle. Yes. Reporter tips to save your home this winter. Really good tips. Im not buying that house though. Yeah, right. After they destroyed it. And when you pull your fridge out. Its not pretty. Yeah, ill put it back where it goes. All right. So snow chances, talking conversational flurries, nasty mix . She wants to wear the boots. Thats the Million Dollar question is exactly whats going to happen now on saturday. Because this time of day we are just starting to get new information in. So this is when we start to update the faerk frorecast from morning. And two computer models hinting at rain and snow moving into the d. C. Area saturday and at times tgh not flurries, i think it might be more intense. I said on facebook and twitter, snow lovers start doing your dance but dont run to the Grocery Store just yet. Thats giving you an idea where we are at right now with the forecast. But stay tuned ill be updating the forecast here. And you can find the latest forecast on my twitter and facebook pages as well. Right now 47 degrees. Hit high of 52. Not too shabby this time of year. But as sun goes down does get chilly. 46 h elsewhere across the area dulles of 45. 46 in college park. Need the sunglasses this afternoon. Then saturday about rain and snow chances. Southern maryland youll have the biggest impact with rain and snow looking likely on saturday, maybe some minor accumulation, maybe 2 inches or less. D. C. Metro area has chance of rape and snow but no ha accumulation becauseth so take a look at the ten day forecast. There saturday with the rain and snow mainly east of i95 so Southern Maryland down through the northern neck. Wind chill low 30s. In fact, maybe all weekend maybe a hoff ian hot cocoa weekend. Then next week stays on the cool side. We are in december. Its going to happen. Its about time. All right. A different look for inspection stickers in virginia. How the changes could improve how well your Cars Technology works. And we are breaking down the find inc. Of a new study linking certain Birth Controls to an increased risk of Breast Cancer. Why doctors say dont switch four pills be starting next year, virginia will change where it puts inspection stickers on your windshield. The reason a lot of new cars now have Crash Avoidance Technology in those systems are centered in your dashboard. So to avoid blocking the new technology, the inspection stickers will now be placed on the bottom left side of the steering wheel. The change will take effect january 1st for inspections that expire in 2019. In news for your health this morning, there is a new study that says Birth Control pills could increase the risk Breast Cancer. Researchers say its a new cause for concern and stg that women need to talk to their doctors about. Nbc correspondent has that story. A study in the new england jo journal of women said their cancer grew to 28 , a special concern for women in their 40s since their risk of Breast Cancer is greater than younger women. Over all the risk of developing Breast Cancer is still relatively low. Obesity raises your odds more than Birth Control. Millions of women are on hormone hall contraceptives. It just means that each person rlly needs to look critically at their reason for taking it. The study also found not just pills that increase cancer risk, but any contraception that uses hormones, including the vaginal ring, certain patch. Others include condoms, and another type of irud. They say they shouldnt stop taking it especially for other medical conditions. Prince George County glen arden. Part of Childrens National health system. In addition to providing Emergency Services and outpatient surgery, the new Medical Center will also have new training. Feels like we just had thanksgiving, another busy Holiday Travel period is upon us. And news4 is working with you to take the stress out of what can be a crazy time of here. Reporter sa apps that could make your life easier this time of year. Reporter we have to go and endure all of the airports. Now all 42 million of our closest friends will be traveling during the Holiday Season. So lets look service app is a flight that scans your emails for delays and cancelation and files for compensation on your behalf. Dont pay a penny more than you have to on airfare, hopper analyzes the best flight, advises you when you should book your flight. I love this one. Find out how long the security line is, my flight, m hierks gives you estimate how long the line is, while you should still give yourself plenty of time, its helpful to is one hour or two. And get through customs faster with mobile passport authorized by u. S. Customs, lets you speed through customs at 24 airports instead of filling out custom forms. You fill them out in the app then you get to zip through shorter lines designated for mobile passport users. Safe travels. Back to you. And onto some more apps that can help you this Holiday Season, these are for when you are mixing up a drink at your upcoming holiday party. The mix ology app offers about 8,000 recipes. And there you have it there. Well talk about this a little bit more. Want to get now to the senate floor. This is senator al franken speaking. The moment was long overdue. I was excited for that conversation and hopeful that it would result in real change that made life better for women all across part of our society. Then the conversation turned to me. Over the last few weeks, a number of women have come forward to talk about how they felt my actions had affected them. I was shocked. I was upset. But in responding to their claims, i also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation. Because all Women Deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously. I think that was the right thing to do. I also think it gave some people the false impression that i was admitting to doing things that in fact i havent done. Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Differently. I said at the outset that the Ethics Committee was the right venue for these allegations to be heard and investigated and evaluated on their merits. That i was prepared to cooperate fully. And that i was confident in the outcome. You know, an important part of the conversation we have been having the last few months has been about how men abuse their power and privilege to hurt women. I am proud that during my time in the senate i have used my power to be a champion of women. And that i have earned a reputation as someone who respects the women i work alongside every day. I know there has been a very different picture of me over the last few weeks, but i know who i really am. Serving in the United States senate has been the great honor of my life. I know in my heart that nothing i have done as a senator, nothing, has brought this honor dishonor on this institution. And i am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree. Nevertheless, today i am announcing that in the coming weeks ill be resigning as a member of the United States senate. I have all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that i am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of Sexual Assault sits in the oval and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls going for the senate with full support of his party. But this decision is not about me. Its about the people of minnesota. Its become clear that i cant both pursue the Ethics Committee process and at the same time remain an effective senator for them. Let me be clear, i may be resigning my seat, but i am not giving up my voice. Ill continue to stand up for the things that i believe in as a citizen and as an activist. But minnesotians deserve a senator who can focus with all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every day. There is a big part of me will always regret strg to walk away from this job with so much work left to be done. But i have faith that the work will continue because i have faith in the people who have helped me do it. I have faith in the dedicated, funny, selfless, brilliant, young men and women on my staff. They have so much more to contribute to have so much more contribute to our country and i hope that as disappointed they may feel today every one who has worked for me knows how much i admire and respect them. I have faith in my colleagues, especially my senior senator amy klobucha this job without her guidance and wisdom. And i have faith, or at least hope, that members of senate will find the political courage necessary to keep asking the tough questions, hold this Administration Accountable and stand up for the truth. I have faith in the activists who organized to help me win my first campaign. And who have kept on organizing to help fight for the people who needed us. Kids facing bullying. The price of prescription drugs. Native americans who have been overlooked for far too long. Working people who have been taking it on the chin for a generation. Everybody in the middle class and everyone aspiring to joining it. I have faith in that i have had the privilege to be a part of. I think i probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul well song famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. Its still true. It will always be true. And most of all i have faith in minnesota. A big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington. But more often than not, when im home i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. The people ive had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard working and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge that ive enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. This has been a tough few weeks for me. But i am a very, very lucky man h. I have a beautiful Healthy Family that i love and that loves me very much. Im going to be just fine. I just would like to end with one last thing. I did not grow up wanting to be a politician. I came to this relatively late in life. I had to learn a lot on the fly. It wasnt easy. And it wasnt always fun. And im not just talking about today. This is a h your life. There are a lot of long hours and late nights and hard lessons. And there is no guarantee that all your work and sacrifice will ever pay off. I won my first election by 312 votes. It could have easily gone the other way. And even when you win, progress is far from inevitable. Paul wellstone spent his whole life working for mental help parity and it didnt pass until six years after paul died. This year a lot of people who didnt grow up imagining that they would ever get involved in politics have done just that. They have protest march or made their first call to a member of congress or maybe even taken the leap and put their names on a ballot for the first time. It can be such a rush to look around a room of full people ready to fight alongside you, to feel that energy, to imagine that Better Things are possible. But you too will experience set backs and defeats and disappointments. There will be days when you will wonder whether its worth it. What i want you to know is that even today, even on the worst day of my political life, i feel like its all been worth