>> reporter: she talked about the incident from sunday night that had people concerned for her health. >> as soon as i opened my mouth, i knew something was wrong. i knew what i wanted to say, but i didn't have the words to say it. >> reporter: branson was reporting live after the grammys when something went terribly wrong. >> well, a very, very heavy -- [ incould herrent speech ] >> reporter: branson says nearby paramedics came to her aid, checking vital signs, her temperature, even taking blood. >> to be hospital with you, i started crying right away because i was scared, terrified and confused. what had just happened. >> reporter: along with garbled speech, branson says she remembers losing feeling in her hands and face, but the word stroke never entered her mind. >> medical emergency was in my mind. the word something medically is going wrong. >> reporter: branson eventually saw a neurologist at ucla medical center, who diagnosed her with having suffered a complex migraine, which medical experts say can mimic a stroke. >> complex migraine is just like a migraine headache, except it has other features, such as garbled speech or weakness on one side. >> reporter: branson says she has had migraines before and was battling a headache that night. she also has a family history of migraines. >> i heard that serene branson's mother also at a young age suffered from migraines, and there is a genetic component. >> reporter: branson was welcomed back to the station by colleagues, and plans to be back to work soon. >> i am anxious and eager to get back to being at work, and i'm ready to be telling the story and not be the story. >> nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman says branson should be just fine now that she has seen a neurologist. >> she was on "today" with more on how they diagnosed the migraine. >> what the doctors are saying in this case, no, she had migraines in the past, a headache that night. otherwise neurologically fine. i'm sure she scanned her for all kinds of things, including tombs and bleeds, so putting everything together diagnosed her as having this very special kind of migraine. >> branson says she is ready to get back to work. well, let's get to the weather. you could have worn shorts out there it was so nice and warm. hopefully you got a chance to take advantage of it. >> we hear from veteran car accident many people played hooky today, but not our meteorologist. veronica, you were holding down the fort today. >> that i have been today. and i wish that i was outside. maybe i'll get a chance to go out in a little while, because even the evening will be nice. big story today, the warmth. we got right up to our record high today, the blue sky, a few clouds out there. in fact, today's record, 76 degrees, 1981. that is our highest temperature, but i think when the official report comes out from the national weather service, we may have a reading of 77 degrees that occurred at 3:00 today. 75 is the temperature right now in georgetown. so we're down 1 degree. mt. rainier at 74. quantico at 75. and 77, a pair from cull per toward fredericksburg. the cooldown to the west. elkin in the yellow, temperatures in the 60s. and that's where a weather front is coming through, passing through the area as a dry front, but with the winds really increasing as we go through the evening, the overnight and even through the day tomorrow. as a matter of fact, tomorrow we could see some gusts near 60 miles per hour. so on your good night forecast, we dropped to 60 degrees by 9:00. that's it. and then 57 by 11:00. so not as cold tonight, but know that we've got a high wind watch that goes through saturday evening. and still looking like a wintry time for the early part of next week. so that's your tease. the other thing, of course, a red flag warning posted for the day tomorrow, because of the front coming through the area. high winds, and low moisture right now in the area. as a matter of fact, right now in areas, firefighters are working to put out a large brush fire. this fire broke out more than an hour ago along route 100. not too far from arundel mills ma mall. chopper 4 is live over the area. these are live pictures over the scene where firefighters are working to contain what is a mile-long blaze. there's not any word of any injuries, and investigators are still trying to figure out what started it. we're going to have more details for you as they become available. but the fact is, when you deal with conditions like that, a lot of wind, a lot of low humidity in the air, you get these fires that become very explosive and can grow very quickly. jim, pat, back to you. >> all right. thanks, veronica. some breaking news this afternoon. washington kick returner brandon banks will be released from the virginia hospital center in arlington tonight. his agent tells news4's lindsay czarniak that banks' chest tube has been removed. he was outside a d.c. nightclub last weekend and suffered a collapsed lung. his agent says it will take three to four weeks for him to get back to normal. dan hellie will have more coming up tonight at 5:00. metro is now working to fix new escalators problems. this time at the foggy bottom metro station around 9:15 this morning. the woman walking on the center escalator fell through one of the tiles. it wasn't moving at the time, so she wasn't injured. metro hasn't confirmed the incident, but it says crews are working to fix one of the escalators there. the holiday weekend means metro track work will cause some travel delayses for you. there will be no service on the blue and orange lines between metro center and la font plaza. crews will be fixing escalators and elevators. there could also be major delays on the red line this weekend. trains will share a single track between shade owe grove and twin brook. the work will begin at 10:00 tonight and finish by monday, the president's day holiday. the beltway is jammed. let's get the latest. >> it's a friday, so no real surprise, but just how bad is it, ash? >> it's pretty bad this afternoon. we've got delayed kicked into high gear early, and jammed up right now. let's take a trip around the capital beltedway. not bad here at connecticut avenue. as we travel the outer loop towards 270, headed towards us continuing through bethesda over on the outer loop towards 270, not bad there, and the inner loop jammed up. both sides of the beltway inching along past river road, and then continuing into virginia. the pace, unfortunately, does not unwind. both said of the beltway jammed up. the inner loop lineup begins closer to the tyson area and continues all the way around towards 95 and college park. the opposite side of the beltway also very heavy as you leave 95. we've got a lot of visitors passing through town along 95. now, as you travel along 95 out of springfield, center of the screen at the hov, that's the way to go until just shy of the weigh station, where you're jammed up alongside main line drivers. this camera shot misleading, because it doesn't look too bad on 95, but further south into newington, on the brakes, and after that jammed solid clear down into quantico. jim and pat, back to you. >> thanks, ashley. well, it's sure to meet a stone wall in the democratically controlled senate. but the house of representatives tonight is continuing its effort to slash the federal budget. from the racetrack to the doctors' office, house republicans are hoping to cut $100 billion, just this year. steve handelsman has the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: a third day of back-to-back house votes. >> this government is overspent. we have to get it under control. >> reporter: the republican majority dodged small cuts, like pulling u.s. army sponsorship of its nascar racing team. but considered a 5.5% across the board cut. that would be huge. >> lancing, the out of control, reckless federal deficit spending that is bankrupting this country. >> reporter: the minority fought back. >> democrats are committed to reducing the deficit. we believe you ought to start by ending the tax subsidies and special interest waste. >> reporter: but the tea party is flexing its muscle. new members backed by the movement pushing for deeper cuts. >> i'm part of an 87-member freshman class that said go back to the drawing board, get us $100 billion but don't stop there. >> reporter: senior republicans are stubbnned. >> some of the amendments have gone too far. >> reporter: when republicans again voted to strip funding from what they call obama care, a major gop priority, debate got angry. >> the worst bill that's ever been passed in the history of the congress. >> what about the slave laws? what about the fugitive slave laws? how dare anyone suggest this is the worst bill when we give opportunity to all americans. >> reporter: could the fight over spending shut down government? like it did in the mid '90s? democrats say, yes it could. because senate democrats insist they will not agree to the deep spending cuts being voted by the republican-controlled house. i'm steve handelsman, news4, capitol hill. millions of egyptians marked their first week of freedom today with june lent celebrations. the parties began after friday prayers, exactly a week after hosni mubarak resigned and ended 30 years of oppression. in cairo, hundreds of thousands of people flooded tahrir square, many of them waving flags. the mood was joyful, but partners said they were also reminding military officials to keep their promise to enact democratic reforms. otherwise, they say the square will again be occupied with protesters. there are reports that anti-government protests in bahrain took another violent turn today. one day after protests in central square. soldiers opened fire on protesters as they headed back to that same square. authorities at the main hospital say at least 50 people were injured, some with gunshot wounds. protesters described a chaotic scene that included clouds of tear gas and bullets flying from several directions. when news4 at 4:00 continues, a consumer alert for parents. ikea is recalling baby cribs. the car dashians are really cashing in on their celebrity status. how much money they're making, when we come right back. plus, check out our final makeover and our healing hearts edition, where wives and girlfriends of wounded members of the military receive a makeover. that's coming up at 4:45. ikea is recalling a line of baby cribs because they could collapse. they were sold between 2005 and 2010. ikea says the four bolts used to too short. this could cause the mattress to detach and collapse, trapping the child inside. so far, there have been no reports of any injuries. the recall involves nondrop side full-size cribs only. if you have one, you should stop using them and contact ikea or a repair kit. there is a new report out on the salary of pop tv today. >> the kardashian family reportedly made $65 million just last year. you have likely seen kim, chloe and courtney, along with their mom, chris jenner on one of their reality shows, including "keeping up with the kardashians." on the show, jenner is known for being a mom and manager to her daughters, and much of her family's for tunes have come from endorsements. one of them, kim's racy sketcher commercial, aired during the super bowl. from middle america to super hero, nbc's friday night lights actress has been picked to star as wonderwoman in a new tv show. it's a revival of the role actress linda carter made famous in the 1970s. wonder woman juggled a dual life as a successful business woman by day and female super woman by night. the show will air on nbc, but there is no date for a debut. ♪ the rise and fall of ana any coal smith was played out on stage last night in london. anna nicole opened at the royal opera house. she turned exotic dancer and "playboy" model. along the way, she battled drug abuse and other unfortunate circumstances before her sudden death in 2007. according to the show's writer, the ana nicole story is about a woman who tried to do what was best for her and her son. brides to be charged filene's basement in new york city today. they were looking for the deeply discounted wedding dresses. as the store's annual running of the brides event. bargain hunters got dresses for as little as 249s. organizers say this year's event attracted some 200 men and women. well, we're talking love again this week with allellen mccarthy of the "washington post." let's start with the wedding couple set up by the mother. sometimes it doesn't work, but in this case it did. >> yeah, the bride leslie said is this a new low for me? she came down to d.c. to meet this guy. the mother said she is so great. she thought so too, almost right away. and they went on a long date that extended basically through the full weekend. and just about a year later, she had moved back to d.c. she thinks her mother was plotting that all along. >> yeah, close to home. >> yeah, moved back to d.c., and they were engaged. so sometimes i guess maybe mother knows best. >> in this case, she does. >> in this case. isn't that amazing? >> thanks, mom. now to the date. the date lab. first up, the guy. >> this is our brave man this week with graham. he is a restaurant manager at a sort of real kind of food and beverage guru. he loves beer, loves wine. we wanted to set him up with somebody who could match him on that level. he also wanted a woman who took care of herself, but didn't take herself too seriously and could be a challenge for him, right? yes. so we kept that in man and we set him up with ann, a 27-year-old marketing coordinator. this is just a fun girl, too. somebody who is really adventuro adventurous, loves to go out, very social, loves wine, so we thought they could connect there. we sent them out to dinner, and they did like the way one another looked right away. always a good time. found one another attractive. she had broken her female you're, so she was on crutches. >> oh, boy. >> which turned out to be this very nice ice-breaker, and once they got past all of the chatter, it ended up being, you know, just a real connection of personality. he thought the whole night, should i kiss her at the end? >> what a -- >> i know, right? and they extended their date past the restaurant and went to a separate bar where they did a whole flight of tequila shots and ended up being a fun date. so you'll have to read on sunday to find out whether or not he ended up kissing her. >> shots can do that. they can break some ice there. thanks, ellen. have a great weekend. to learn more about how it all turned out, check out "the washington post." pat? >> yeah, we want to know. coming up on news4, it was a gorgeous afternoon, but there's now snow in our forecast. veronica johnson has the highlights and the low lights coming up. also, president obama sits down with a few famous friends for dinner. and the invitations are about to be mailed out. we'll get the inside scoop on who can expect an invite to the royal wedding. ♪ [ female announcer ] starbucks via is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via taste promise. look for it where you buy groceries. well, it is beautiful outside. don't have to tell you. and our facebook fans are enjoying the weather, because we've got some big changes veronica is going to share with us. but they're already banking their plans for the weekend. >> yeah, the weather is our facebook question today. and here's how some people told us they're spending the day. denise writes, playing tourist and going to the museum and a few monuments and dinner at matchbox. yum. >> love that place. >> marco is the next one. >> yeah, he posted from richmond. he's going to play some football with friends. >> and janet from ashburn posted, to celebrate my birthday with this gorgeous weather, i never get 70 degrees on my birthday. perfect gift. she's right. >> yes, it is a perfect gift. >> timing. >> it's always special when the weather is nice, but how about when it's not only sunny, but also mild? >> yeah, we'll take it. february, and just about any other time of the year. but it's not going to stay this way. >> it's not going to stay this way, so you really want to enjoy it while it's around. and that means at least for the evening, it's going to be nice, too. you know, just the other day i was out getting ice cream with the kids, it was one of the chain stores so not all that special, but take a look, the ice cream store at fredricksburg, virginia, carl's custard. it opened today. these are the kind of images i love seeing. it makes me not only think of spring, but summer, too. >> yeah. >> nice. while you take a look at those, know that we did hit 70 degrees. well above 70 today, folks. we've only done that nine other times since 1872. and the last time that we had three days in february that was 70 degrees or higher was back in 1997. 75, the temperature now with the west-southwest wind. so the front has yet to move through the area. the problem that we're going to have, though, is that front gets close to us, finally moves through, gets through -- the winds will really start to increase. take a look at the wind gusts through the area right now, up to 30 miles per hour in hagerstown. tomorrow we're likely to see wind gusts right along the ridges just west of us, up to 60 miles per hour. because of that, from tonight, through saturday evening, pretty much covers the entire area. we've got a high wind watch that's been posted. that means winds again gusting to 50, 60 miles per hour, and with winds that high, we could see some power outages. in the 70 throughout the area, even martinsburg at 72 degrees. so that front well west of us. the cooldown, look at minneapolis, look at wichita, down from 10 to 20 degrees this area. colder air there, running at 26 degrees in minneapolis. now, we're not going to be that cold for a high temperature, but by sunday morning, we will be below freezing. the jet stream, you can see the big ridge across the whole half of the country. then we get that dip, and that's our storm track for monday night, for tuesday. with air that cold and a system moving in, it means that we could see a change over going from rain to snow tuesday morning. and possibly some accumulation of snow. here's your future cast. partly sunny day tomorrow, it's going to be plenty gusty. there's some warmer air that will start moving in. the warmer air doesn't get in here, folks, until we get to monday. and then it's falling temperatures from monday morning. speaking of falling, not too bad over the evening. nice and mild. 60 to 71 degrees falling out of the 70s to the 60s. 36 to 40 early tomorrow morning. and then 51 to 56, can't stress enough how windy it is going to be through the day tomorrow. monday, tuesday, a lot of kids have the day off monday. that's good. but there might be delays tuesday morning. >> all right. stay tuned. thanks, veronica. thanks. still to come on news4 at 4:00, michael jackson continues to rake in the dough after his death. also, the invitations are headed to the mailbox. now we'll talk to a royal wedding insider about who is in and who is out. welcome back to news4 at 4:00. i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. here's what's making news right now. the los angeles reporter whose incould her rent report went virtual is now speaking out. serene branson said she was terrified and embarrassed when she knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't say it. doctors say she suffered a complex migraine. branson says she is okay and wants to head back to work. fire investigators in an ru