petrae petraeus. he resigned in 2012 after admitting to giving classified information to his mistress. he met with trump when he was being considered for secretary of state. >> i turn on the tv, open the newspapers and i see stories of chaos. chaos. yet it is the exact opposite. this administration is running like a fine tuned machine. >> now, coming up in about ten minutes, edward lawrence takes an indepth look at the latest news conference and the challenges facing the administration. new this morning we're working to learn how two people are doing after this bad crash on the suitland parkway. you can see how badly damaged this car is. two people had to be flown to the hospital. our news partner tells us one person was seriously hurt. u.s. park police have not said whether more than one car was involved in this crash. police are urging people to be on high alert. that's because eight armed robberies have been reported since mid december. many of those are happening in one specific area. we're talking about the part of hyattsvil hyattsville, suspects are targeting men leaving for work at this time of the morning. the robberies are taking place between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and more frequently on fridays. it is making life for those living in that area very uneasy. >> from now on i be watching who's behind me, who's in front of me, who's on the side because it's terrible. >> there could be more victims but some may come forward. there is a search for this missing 59-year-old man. his name is turner joseph stevenson and police say he has dementia. police say he was last seen around 4:00 p.m. on tuesday. he was leaving his residence at the apartments in silver spring. we'll put his picture on twitter and facebook for you so you can make sure to see it and call police if you have any information. in loudoun county the sheriff is searching for this 16-year-old. her name is stephanie lucero. she was last seen at her home on february 9th. they say she left on her own will. could the loudoun county sheriff's office if you know where to find her. >> there is growing concerns about gangs operating in our own neighborhoods and schools. we're learning how two recent murders and three disappearances are tied to one dangerous gang in northern virginia. family members say the ms 13 game alexander reyes before her death. so far, five people have been charged with her murder. three under the age of 18. police say gangs are recruiting teenagers to carry out their violence. >> so we're seeing a lot of increase in recruiting high schools and middle schools which is alarming to us. >> ahead at 5:00 a.m. justin finch will explain what law enforcement is doing to combat a growing gang problem. >> fierrefighters are watching r hot spots after a four alarm fire. the fire and black smoke forced them to shut down the light rail in that area. the wind helped fuel this house fire in arlington. the homeowner said they had a fire pit going in the backyard last night. then sent flames to the house and caught the siding on fire. nobody was hurt in this incident either. >> let's get another check on weather and traffic. >> we'll check in with chuck and sheena and looking forward to the warm weekend. >> it's a good weekend to say good-bye to bao bao. >> she's leaving tuesday. >> i'm so sad about this. i really am. isn't teaching bao bao chinese? >> i think you were wondering that yesterday. >> i'm very worried about this. new kids that don't speak the same language. this could be trouble for bao bao. i'm just saying. this may be the final cold morning for the foreseeable future as a big-time warming trend comes our way. there may be a little shower chance early on sunday and i'm not kidding. winter may be very close to over. here's the way your three-day holiday weekend looks. temperatures 60 or higher each ay day on sunday. >> but today is looking better than yesterday. we have a cold start this morning but through the afternoon i think the day is really going to shape up nicely. this morning it's cold though, so before you walk outside you do need the heavy warm coat. you're not going to need it through the entire day today. lighter winds today. not as windy as yesterday. by 8:00 a.m. temperatures still around freezing. by noon we are in the mid-40s and by 5:00 p.m. we'll be getting back to the low 50s. so very pleasant end to the work week. then unseasonably warm temperatures but we do have some issues out there on the roadways. let's check that with melissa mollet. >> we'll keep an eye on this one. i don't itthink it's roadways. top of the beltway into and out of town no problem. bottom of the beltway also looking good right now. taking a look at 66 from fairfax county parkway to the beltway going to take you 9 minutes. remember to listen to wtop when you hop in your car today. a developing story out of phoenix now. passenger planes, one arriving, one departing collide. we will check in with the live desk with what we're learning about how it happened. >> metro needs money and if the transit system doesn't get it riders could pay the price. the proposal that could bring an extra $750 million in federal funds. lu> feeling and my life is basketball.west, but that doesn't stop my afib from leaving me at a higher risk of stroke. that'd be devastating. i took warfarin for over 15 years. until i learned more about once-daily xarelto®... a latest-generation blood thinner. then i made the switch. xarelto® significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. warfarin interferes with vitamin k and at least six blood-clotting factors. targeting one critical factor of your body's natural clotting function. for people with afib currently well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. to help protect yourself from a stroke, ask your doctor about xarelto®. insurance changes? xarelto® has you covered. welcome back at 4:40. we want to get back to the live desk following a scary situation at the phoenix airport. >> two jets at the airport clipped each other on the taxi way. the good news here is there are no injuries that have been reported. this is the taxiway. a frontier airlines flight getting ready to take off, a southwest flight coming in. that's when their wings clipped. passengers were put on another plane and there wasn't any major impacts to operations and as i mentioned before we're not hearing of any injuries, so it's a >> nk story is the number one story on our website right now. you're looking at a picture of seized horse meat. two women were hiding 42 pounds of it from this trip from mongolia to dulles international airport last month. >> officials also found three liters of yak milk. horse meat is prohibited from entering the u.s. it can cause foot and mouth disease. the women have not been charged. >> they destroyed it at the airport. >> kiss the cold good-bye. >> sheena, we're going to start seeing a little warming trend today, huh? >> well, yes, we are actually. as we go through the day today we'll be around 50. this is actually saturday you're looking at but as we back it up in time here's friday. we're going to be -- as the weather goes backwards we're going to look at it's going to be nice, chuck, not too bad. >> glad to hear it. there are two sides of the argument. new express lanes could make your drive easier. an update on when you'll need to make the choice between speed and expense. >> and a tax scam is making the rounds. the waning signs you needr t good morning, everybody. it's 4:44. temperatures this morning are on the cold side for sure. arlington is 30 degrees right now. 24 in fredericksburg. there's a big warmup in store but wait till you see that ten-day forecast in a couple morm >> best buy, enjoy by, used by, what do the labels on your food actually mean? the plan to make things less confusing. president trump heads to south carolina to meet with one of the government's biggest defense contractors. he'll speak at the boeing plant in north charleston. it's the launch of the commercial aircraft. the president will spend the weekend at his winter white house in florida. the president's news conference where he forcefully rejected the narrative that his administration is facing setbacks. >> let's start with the president's response to russia. >> reporter: he flatly denies having any involvement with russia. he said he is not aware to his knowledge that any of his campaign advisors during the campaign had contact with russia even though we're otherwise from the leaks that h last couple of days. >> president trump was also asked about including the congressional black caucus. fill us in on this. >> reporter: this was a very weird moment in the press conference where he asked an african american reporter to set up a meeting with the black caucus, the president saying there was a meeting with eli. -- elijah comings but he is welcoming a meeting with the president to talk about urban renewals within the inner cities. it's unclear who to believe here. >> all right. edward lawrence on the hill. thank you. a group of 18 democratic senators is pushing a bill to rescind the president's immigration de the two-page bill would nullify the executive order and restore funding to sanctuary cities. with republican control of the senate and the house it is unlikely to pass. president trump also indicates he will sign a new executive order in response to the ninth district court's ruling. a debate between the four republican candidates for virginia governor happening in charlottesville. the former chairman is considered the front runner for the nomination. former air force intelligence officer is expected to be there and so will corey stewart. the final candidate is frank wagner. the debate begins at 3:00 p.m. it is now 4:47. this morning two prince george's countli separate incidents. their police powers are suspend t. one of them the corporal george merkell. >> the course of asking her to move on from where she was r the assault occurred. it was witnessed by two other county officers who had responded to his call that he was going to check to see what was going on with this citizen. >> the second officer is corporal william diaz. he is a nine-year veteran and is part of the task force that investigates prostitution. diaz warned a prostitute of when a special unit was going to be in the area. prosecutors say he also had a relationship with a prostitute while on duty last year. now take a look at this car. you can see it is riddled with bullets. 13 of them. are trying to figure out who shot at the car and why. it happened yesterday afternoon along route 50. police had to shut down eastbound route 50 for nearly five hours. the three men who were inside are being treated for gunshot wounds. police say they're expected to be okay. a maryland congressman has introduced a new bill that would significantly change metro's governing structure. it would require all members to be expert in transit, safety, management or finance. the changes to the select i bargaining agreements allow them to improve safety and service. if they agree to the changes the government would give metro an extra $750 million in federal money over ten years. the express lanes have been given the green light to extend north to the d.c. line. the plan was approved yesterday. the work on thesouthbound extension has already started. the southern extension of the toll lanespe in 2018. in arlington county the conversion of hov lanes to toll lanes is scheduled to be completed in 2019. >> what would you do with $349 million? >> what wouldn't i do? >> the list is so long we don't have time but tomorrow someone may have to answer that question. the power ball jackpot is up to a whopping $349 million, growing by the day. right now the cash payout, you always take the cash. just over $213 million. >> that's it? >> that's it? you have one in 290 million chance to take home the big prize in tomorrow's drawing but we always play for fun. >> it's almost like you only play when it's over 200 million. otherwise i don't think i'm going to win. >> it's not enough if it's only 100 million. >> or even 10 million. >> and everyone's like do you want to do a pool? and i'm like, i don't want forecast this weekend. >> for those of you that have a three-day weekend, everybody will have a fantastic weekend. the temperatures will climb up into the 60s. bao bao leaves on tuesday, so the weekend and monday, great time to go say bye bye and temperatures will be feeling like spring. this morning though, it's cold outside. we're talking about 20s and 30s on the map. most of the area is below freezing but the afternoon will be very nice. the weekend unseasonably warm. no big cooldown in the forecast and we're looking all the way into next week and next weekend and we still look unseasonably warm, believe it or not. temperatures 25 degrees. gaithersburg, make sure you have the warm jacket when you head outside. 22 lorton. your fitness forecast for today, this morning it's going to be a cold one. 29 by dry by 7:00 a.m. by 5:00 we are nice and dry. we don't have any rain heading our way and it may be very late saturday or very early sunday. here's the future feels like temperatures. today not much wind but again we're going to be getting around 50. now we're going to look at saturday. look at this warm air moving in. going to move in quickly too and it's going to stick around. 52 degrees. sunny, milder, a nice day compared to yesterday. not nearly as much wind as yesterday. over the weekend look at these 60s. 65 on sunday. 63 on monday. it just looks fantastic and into next week we have more 60s on the map. it's going to stay unseasonably warm. let's check in with traffic with melissa mollet. >> inner and outer loop of the beltway looking just fine. cabin john parkway with a crash on the phone with police trying to see if that is cleared out of the way. doesn't seem to be affecting things too m >> 95 in maryland. you can see we are on time there. it's going to take you ten minutes so no problems southbound. northbound is also rolling along just fine and 270, northbound/southbound there at 124 there, no problems. we'll see you back here in a couple of minutes. >> thank you. >> believe in yourself. yesterday i visited an elementary school in prince george's county. had a great conversation with students of the month. great thank you for the invitation there. i dropped off some warm treats in the office. we all know how hard the office staff works to keep our schools running. dropped off some food there to say thanks for the hard work. >> and remember you pay it forward. you were inspired of of kindness and you do something and every act counts. everybody is looking for something small. >> and those kids will remember everything you say, i promise and it's amazing. that's awesome. >> had a great time. how do you decide when food is bad? the date on the label, the smell test or just a guess? that's the problem. it's confusing and a lot of us waste a lot of food. we'll tell you about the change that could be coming to food labels that could help. >> and if you're planning on sitting down to do your taxes this weekend, the scammers trying t that's why there's oravet dental hygiene chews. oravet cleans teeth and gets to the cause bad breath. ask your vet about oravet chews. serious oral care made simple we've been working for you all this week to get the most out of your tax return. >> major problem involving taxpayers. and a couple of different versions making the rounds. susan hogan explains what some people are getting in the mail. >> scammers are sending fraudulent versions of what's called the cp 2000 notices for tax year 2015. here are a few warning signs that a notice is fake. if it is from an austin, texas address, if it's related to the aca and if it lists the letter number in the payment 105 c and request checks made out to the irs and be sent to the austin processing center. whether you get a notice or a call from someone claiming to be from the irs if you have any question just call the irs directly to verify the information. don't lose the number listed or on the caller id. >> if you missed any of our tax reports just search tax tips on the nbc washington app. coming up on news 4 today, next week get ready for a food fight from peanut allergies for kids or the sugar in your diet, find out what you pack in your lunch impacts your health every day. fad packaging can be confusing. some packages have sell by dates, others have best if used by dates. things that you don't have to waste food. the plan is to break products into two groups. the first will get a used by date. this is reverveed for foods that spoil quickly and should not be used after the date listed. the second group will be best if used by group. that means it is safe to eat after the listed date though the taste may not be as ideal. >> because consumers are confused about what they mean, consumers might be throwing food away when it's perfectly safe to eat. >> the grocery manufacture association are behind the push. there's nothing companies to force these standards and this is a big deal for people donating food to food pantries as well. >> it will be 5:00 a.m. in 14 seconds. >> good morning, evebo >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to your friday. tgif. >> now you just have to get through the rest of today. we'll try to help you do that. we'll start things off with a look at weather and traffic. chuck bell and sheena parveen up first. >> it's very chilly this morning. >> you'll need your winter gear on the way out the door, but it may be time to start thinking about unpacking the rest of the shorts in the summer wardrobe because it is going to be a crazy mild pattern coming our way starting tomorrow. your outdoor planner starting this morning, freezing cold. a lot of spots below freezing. not all that cold by february standards. really mild weather coming up on saturday and a quick shower on sunday, but on the whole, the daily grade for today, a plus. over achiever up near 52 degrees after what will be a cold start. >> is that chuck there? overachiever? >> now, with the a