clear skies and cooler conditions. temperatures will continue to move on up. we're not quite as cool as we were yesterday. yesterday we were in the teens and twernts. rig 20s. right now we're at 31. and temperatures will continue to move up, by 11:00, we'll be in the 40s. but we'll see an increase in the cloud cover. so again we're talking about a warming up trend, but then we cool down wednesday we're still tracking the holiday, we'll let you know what we can expect for that, that will be in about 12 minutes. new this morning, part of rockville pike in rockville is closed after an accident turns deadly. police say the driver of this moped is dead after a hit and run crash late last night. it all happened at rockville pike and congressional lane not far from the twinbrooks metro station. police say the driver of the car ditched the vehicle just a few yards from the scene and ran away. he was tracked down and is now in polic yet been released. and this morning a little girl is recovering after being shot in the leg. d.c. police say kids with are playing with a gun when it went off saturday afternoon. the shooting happened inside an apartment building along pomeroy street in southeast. detectives are interviewing everyone who was there at the time of the shooting. so far no one has been charged. and this is when we're all together, relatives, families, but it can be difficult for families coping with the loss of a loved one. >> but a group of local mothers are coming together to lift each other spencer has their powerful stories. >> a lot of times we don't want to wake up. we're not suicidal, but we have to face another day without our babies. >> reporter: they share a common bochb bond, all moms who have lost a child in a shooting. >> how can anyonei and sniff out another person's life? >> reporter: her daughter india died in a police-involved shooting in 2015. she is here for a pot luck dinner with the coalition of concerned mothers to uplift each other as the holidays approach. >> as it gets closer to christmas or any holiday, that sadness is still there, but if it is only four, five, six hours today, i want them to walk away with having a great time. >> reporter: and that's what they did, sharing hugs, laughter and some food and drinks. it's a time to relarelax, to ta their mind off their loss. >> it's comforting to be in the presence of other mothers who have had similar tragedies at ours. >> reporter: it's a safe place to share with others who can relate. >> people say rest in petition on or our children are in a i beg to differ. the better place is here with us. >> reporter: and tonight they have each other, a few hours to enjoy the friendship of other moms, and to try to forget the painful past. in upper marlboro, darcy spencer, news 4. a beautiful story of them coming together. right now montgomery county police are searching for a shooter after a man was shot to death at his apartment building. this map shows where the building is located along falling water circle. police not yet releasing the man's name or motive in this. and votes on the republican tax bill are planned for early this owe done nell. all right an eager defend of the tax cut bill as the president headed to camp david. >> many believe that the tax cuts willef >> no, this really will mostly benefit the middle class and jobs. companies are coming in, they are pouring in to the country. they have already started. and this will be great for jobs. >> reporter: jobs is white house code for helping middle class families. even with unemployment at a 14 year low, the wages are stagnant. under the gop tax cut plan, a family of four with an income of $73,000 could save roughly $2,000. the standard deduction most tax filers claim would double. the child tax credit also goes up. for parents, those 529 college plans would expand to include tuition saving for k through 12th grade. answering the bill's critics, the president played santa. >> this is going to be one of the great gifts to the middle income people of this country that they have ever gotten. >> reporter: wealthy families and corporations could see the biggest gains. corporate r the estate tax exemption would allow couples to pass on twices a month with no inheritance tax. the alternative minimum tax intended to prevent overuse of loopholes would kick in at a higher level, $1 million for couples. but the amt ends completely for businesses. political an lialysts say react is weary. >> i think american people have already sized it up to realize that they won't be the direct when fi beneficiaries but large corporate interests are. >> that was kelly owe dochb nell reporting. coming up on "meet the press," political earthquake. chuck todd will break down last week's highly con on testtested senate race and what it really means for capitol hill. chuck will join us for a preview amounts later on and let's take a live look outside. a warmer sunday on tap. that is a good thing. perfect day to get out and get a little last minute shopping started. >> i'm on it. we're getting there. >> larn ouryn will be back in a. and we're watching the latest from southern california as that thomas fire continues to rage on. here we are now amidst the holidays and we'll tell you what is next for firefighters and those who live out west. streaming and gaming are only as good as your internet. so get the best internet - with the 100% fiber-optic network. with download speeds up to 940 megs - plus a fios custom tv package, with over 150 of your favorite tv channels, and phone, all for just $79.99 per month online. and thanks to our customers, fios by verizon won the j.d. power award for highest ranked by customers for residential internet service satisfaction five years in a row and residential television service satisfaction in 2017. get fios gigabit connection plus tv and phone for just $79.99 per month online with showtime and multi-room dvr service included with a two-year agreement. and now get a two-year price guarantee for over $800 in savings. switch now and get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. get the 100% fiber-optic network. go to getfios.com too many kids across southern california won't be waking up at home on christmas morning. >> massive and unforgiving thomas fire is continuing to expand and fire officials, they don't expect full until january 7th. but they say that they were able to contain several fire lines and save thousands of homes yesterday. despite that, this fire continues to pack a dangerous punch. >> i refer to it fire as a beast. and it is a mocnster. we all recognize that, but we will kill it. the team behind me, the men and women out in the field, i have no doubt. >> about 95,000 people have been forced to evacuate since the thomas fire began nearly two weeks ago. this morning the fire is only 40% contained. >> that is just devastating. >> we both have family out there. hoping that this can get contained quickly. meantime back here, waking up to a cold start, but maybe getting warmer which we like, la lauryn ricketts. >> yeah, and one thing about those fires, they will continue to have wind gusts up to about 55 miles an hour through this in anybody out there. what a mess california has been through this last couple months. and around here, our weather has not been too bad. credit we made it up to 48 degrees. today i think we can do better than that. i think temperatures will be right around 50 degrees for daytime highs. let me put this in place. it is clear out there right now. and it is nice. temperatures a little cool, but that is to be expected. we are in december. we will continue to see the temperatures move right on up as we continue through the day today. again, yesterday we made to 48. i do believe we'll be just a touch warmer out there today. clouds will eventually increase throughout the morning, but again, we have clear skies out there right now. so currently 31 in washington, dulles at 24. gaithersburg at 26. but again we'll have sunshine through the morning. 7:20 sunrise. and clouds increasing through temperatures. so we'll stop in the upper 40s once again. we could see some spotty showers as we head into the afternoon hours. but not everybody going to see them. again, we're starting to see some high level clouds coming in right now throughout the area. here is the system that we're watching out of the deep south. what will happen, the reason our temperature will go up today, we have high pressure off the coast, the southeast coast. that helps give us the southerly wind and it also serves as a blocking feature. so again as this moves towards the mid-atlantic, it will block it and wring it out a bit. so maybe spotty showers, that is about all that will squeeze out. again, spotty showers through the afternoon and evening, that is about it. we'll keep the clouds around and we'll go partly sun tli through t the day tomorrow. so today upper 40s, p.m. showers possible. tomorrow in the mid-50s, partly sunny skies. and temperatures drop on tuesday night into wednesday, breezy on wednesday in the 40s. rain south. take a look at christmas and christmas eve, still tracking that. looks like we're turning a bit warmer, but again several days out and we'll watch it for you. all right. coming up next, i sit down with tracy and aaron gilchrist for reporter's notebook. >> i'm aaron gilchrist and welcome to reporter's notebook. this morning we have tracee wilkins and david culver at the table with us to talk about what has been happening on your beats. let's start in prince george's county, casino marked a one year anniversary. >> and it is doing women. it is the number one taxpayer in the state of maryland. so the state is happy. thehe near the d.c. metropolitan area, more shoe a horse shoe and matter lachbd li maryland have lost some, but they are getting it back. and nearly $600 million into mgm since it opened. and now they are planning to do a whole second floor of gaming. so this is something that we talked about when we did the story, that a second floor, they will have slots, table games, all of that on the second floor as well as that first floor casino. they are doing an amazing job. and prince ghonch's couthe coun. >> are they just packing the people in? >> they say that this is what the customers want. that casino stayed packed. and the thing to remember is in a it is not just a casino. they say it alls time, it is an is because of the concerts and the hotel and the shopping and all the eating. so the idea is when they first krublg constructed it, they made it so they would have an opportunity to expand if they wanted to and now they are doing about. >> and what surprises me is the number of virginia customers you have going there too. i talk to so many people especially when it is convenient for folks in old town. and it seems to be in demand for the concert venue too. >> and that was part of the reason that they fought so hard to get it at national harbor was to draw in those folks for virginia. >> and there was a long checklist of things that people wanted to make sure that the casino and hotel was going to do. they wanted to make sure that there would be employment opportunities. have they managed to keep up with all the different parts of the ban begirgain? >> they want at least 40% of the people who work there is prince george's county. the number is of minorities. i talked with their vchd of government affairs who went to largo high school and was raised in the county and was talking about what it is leak working for mg mmm. and in terms of crime, underachblg kids getting in there, fights on the casino florida h. floor, mgm's numbers carried to maryland live's numbers, all less than 100 incidents, but when you think about the size and that it is twice the size of a maryland live, it looks like they are doing a good job of keeping those things under control and dealing with those numbers, too. >> and traffic was a concern. >> we talked to the community about it and even aaa says that no one is complaining about the traffic. >> which is amazing statement by itself. >> when there are large events, there is a bit of a backup, but from all accounts, the people who were protesting and drnt wa didn't want it there, we're hearing that traffic is not a problem. and violence crime doesn't so we'll continue to watch it and see what is gois going on, they have hit a lot of the markers and they are makinging improvements. >> let's move into northern virginia. you lad a part in covering the story of the week last week in northern virginia. >> it was a talker. >> a naked man on top of a truck, a flat bed truck on route 28 in fairfax county. what happened, what is the back story? >> that was just the end of it. we know it started with an accident on route 28. and it quickly escalated. one of the men who was involved in that wreck, jose gonzalez flores, according to police he is the one that we seay se goinr to car starting to trip down to weather out there. and got very violent. started smashing in windows. started talking drivers. and as you see the final piece of video, he jumps on that flat bed and he takes off. they later find him in a drain age ditch and sensitive. i'm even told sflrp sevthere wed fingers. so the question is what was he on. >> he bunched out a window on a truck, too, with his bare hand? >> absolutely. and that is something that police are looking at pl alco. l alcohol, drugs. was it a medical incident. no one was seriously injured with the exception of a dog who was in the cab of a truck who has some cuts, but doing okay. >> and we've heard about other incidents people who are particularly high on pcp sort of having this super strength, we've had other incidentsve stripped off all their clothes and was on something and seemed to have this super strength. >> and there was one where a man was stripped down and going into a pizza shop. >> but in there case not what may have been involved if he was on something. >> there are suspiciouses of course suspicions, but not exactly known what sparked it. and it is getting you thousands of times over. we all feel the pressure of rush hour and it can be a little kay on the on tick. we don't see that. >> stay in your car, keep your clothes on.on tick. we don't see that. >> stay in your car, keep your clothes on. >> all right. we'll be back with much more after this. let's go back to prince george's county. we've been watching the tampering that happened. we got the and you had either report from the state and there is still this conversation about what happened there, why it happened, the governor of maryland using some pretty strong language about how things happened and moving forward. >> yeah, the governor said gist a short time ago, you know, all of the improved grades and the graduation rate that had boosted was all fake and this was during -- >> fake progress. >> fake progress during a state board meeting. and then he comes to prince george's county last week and actually meets with the naacp. the prince george's county chapter of the naacp has expressed that they have serious concerns and have from the beginning about the amount of control that the county executive has over the school board through the legislation that he was able to get passed in annapolis, he was able to appoint a large number of the school board members. chair of the board. and the ceo or superintendent of school reports to him. so the question is, is that the proper structure for the prince george's county school system and the governor came down to listen to the naacp in prince george's county discuss these concerns. now, what the county executive's office is saying is that what started out and w45 shouwhat sh been focused mainly on the children to for these kids to have success has turned into something that is political. rushern baker is going up depends governor larry hogan in the 2018 gubernatorial election. so now what they are saying is that that is what it goes all about and the governor wants to get to the bottom of what happened to the school system. >> and parents in the community want that as well, to figure out what happened and this a h sa audit don't believe that there was systemic grade tampering, but they want to make sure that the systems are in place so it doesn't happen on any level. >> yeah, the ceo next week will present their plan for fixing all of these issues. and what they are saying is that it was miscommunication, that there were a number of people who did not understand exactly what to do with new programs put in place to help students if they were failing. so basically what he is going to do is say we went through the audit and here's how we'll fix it and change it. and when you have more than 5,000 students who have graduated with no record of whether they met qualifications, there is a serious concern and it needs to be addressed. the other point that is important though, this was a state audit that has never been done before. only the rinsprichb this school audited so we don't know handling the same issue. because everybody implemented the new programs for opportunities for success pretty much at the same time. >> this is a very large school district. we've been reporting on issues of different sorts for the last year or so in this school district. some people have said it seems as though the only on consequence is a slap on the wrist, that no one significant has been fired, there hasn't been the sorts of accountability pieces put in place that some people would typically expect. is that the reality from your reporting from what you've seen? >> there are a lot of people who feel that way. there are people who want the ceo to be fired and others who say we've had a problem school system for years now and what we do is fire, fire, fire without any consistency. so there are arguments on both sides that if you have a problem school system and you brute ioun a guy who was considered second best in the nation, will be problems in that system. so the question is are the problems because of the ceo or did they already exist. and these are the things that we need answers for as we continue to look at these situations. and also the prince george's county school system is doing a lot of stuff right too and we reported on the integration and how that is working. but definitely some things that call a lot into question. >> fair to see both sides. let's move into the fbi investigation, a shooting involving u.s. park police a few weeks back. young man shot by park police officer. he died. now the fbi is in charge of the investigation. and people are calling for more trach transparency. >> this is quickly becoming politicized. and this is november 17th of this year, a 25-year-old accountant from fairfax county area, he was involved in some sort of wreck that started on the gw parkway and continued n shooting. we know the officers who fired shots were u.s. park police. we know that fairfax county responded to this incident as well. however they are quick to point out their officers did not fire their service weapons. but they do have video from their dash cam. so this comes to let's see some of that evidence. that is the push from the community. that is what people even in the political level want to see. the board of supervisors of fairfax county has written a letter to the fbi saying we want to see some of this. just is this past wethis past wk telling the chairman that they don't plan to release that, that it could harm the integrity of the investigation. but no question people are demanding answers. this was a drunk professiyoung who was well liked, he had a loving family. there are questions as to what the initial accident was, what led police on to that chase and why they need to fire their service weapons. so back and forth here. >> so let me ask you about the video. obviously fairfax county police department had the video at some point. has anyone in the dechpartment seen it, described it at all. and would that be a violation of some fbi regulations? >> fairfax county police are keeping tight lipped about this because in their mind they don't want a situation that would date back to 2013 and that is the john gear shooting, and that still sits in the chief's mind. it has led to a lot of public outcry. so they simply turned the video over to the lead investigative group and that is the fbi at this point. u.s. park police also said we're turning it over to the fbi, so they made that decision to put them as lead investigator. >> is that at all unusual to not do their own internal investigation, we'll immediately turn it over to another agency? >> well, i think it is in response to some of the public concern that the integrity of that investigation should park police handle it and it is their own officers whoir weapons. clearly they wanted to remove their hands and say we'll let the fbi take it. >> so no indication yet on when they might be done with their investigation. >> no, but we'll stay on it what you folks asking us to continue to follow up. >> all right. we appreciate your time today. and we thank you for joining us for "reporter's notebook." "news 4 today" continues now. just doing a quick change of wardrobe. >> you're fast. good stuff, too. we welcome you back in on a sunday morning to news 4 today . it is 6:30. angie and adam are both off. good from friday, which was so cold. >> and you're all about warm weather. >> oh, all about warm weather. please. it will be southern california in my house. i keep it warm and toasty. >> well, lauryn ricketts, i know you are tracking it all. and i know we're not getting to the 10 day yet, but i think maybe warmer weather is ahead? >> it is ahead. and we're on the swing of things. the upswing of things starting yesterday. yesterday we were at 48. i do believe we'll be warmer today. i know we'll be warmer tomorrow and tuesday, near 60 by tuesday. so again, a nice warm-up before we cool down. clear skies out there right now this morning. sun coming up at 7:20. for waking up, temperatures will move right out of the 30s. by about 9:00, we'll be already pursuing that 40 degree mark. clouds will be moving in throughout the morning as well. so we will have some cloud cover moving in. no rain just yet. i bet it shuts off on me. but this is what i want to talk about. this rain is headed our way. i do have rain in the forecast, but we'll talk about how much all coming up. >> do a quick computer restart. all right. 6:31. let's change it now to the devastating story, this is disturbing, a young woman in virginia went to walk her dogs but they ever went back home. her own dogs mauled her to death. but friends say the idea of killing her docgs, they don't think this makes sense. >> it appear there is she was taken to the ground, last consciousness and the docs mado mauled to death. there were no strangulation marks. e in the skull. and this was not a homicide. >> reporter: her friends though say that account just didn't add up. >> they would not attack her. they would basically kill you with kisses. >> reporter: it started when her father called 911 saying he listen seen her in two days. he went to look for her in the woods where she often walked her dogs. and that is where he found her not yet knowing he had stumbled upon the gruesome scene of her tragic death. she weighed about 120 pounds and each of her dogs did took. that is nearly 250 pounds and more than twice her size. >> and in my 40 years of law enforcement, i've never seen anything quite like this, hope i never do again. >> reporter: barbara is a good friend. >> only time they got aggressive is if they thought there was a threat toward her. the wounds were probably trying to get her away from whatever was attacking her. sure investigators have can exhausted all possibilities. >> the kennels looked like they had been broken open like the dogs went to go help her. >> disturbing story there. the dogs even slept in bed with her at night and the attack appeared to have beaeeen initia by the dogs. we shared the story of a nurse's mission to help at-risk babies, the border bhaebs program helps newborn who are abandoned or came from unstable homes. that program has evolved and now it is helping kids outside of the hospital as well. and yesterday the hospital held the 25th annual child and family celebration for at-risk kids. about 100 children met with super heros and cartoon characters and got gifts and took photos with give back to the community what they have given to us, so we're very thankful. >> this year we're actually part of the party. >> the program now helps kids who are pediatric outpatients and kids and families who get hospital services. and the large he is hotel company in the world will keep thousands of jobs in bethesda. wtop reports that marriott international will move its headquarters to downtown bethesda by 2022. it will be built near the metro station. moc montgomery county approved the plans this week. marriott was given a $60 million incentive to stay. all right. it has been a tough year for severe and deadly weather around this country. an i three months since hurricane harvey slammed texas. >> tammyleitner shows us that there is still a lot of work to be done. >> reporter: it is chaos in t harding family house. they have been crammed into their second floor ever since hurricane harvey flooded their suburban houston neighborhood. >> this is living room, bedroom, kitchen room, dining room. >> reporter: you may remember eric harding because of this viral video. the pastor says he simply wanted to show his 13-year-old son the piano he loved so much still worked. >> it kind of became this little piece of hope for some reason. >> reporter: nearly 900,000 texans were affected by the storm. for many recovery has been painfully slow. >> right now we're in that initial recovery phase. is it doing as fast as any of us would like? no, not really. >>ep the challenge is the massive scale of damage which stretches roughly 41,000 square miles, larger than the state of maine. >> but we are making progress. >> reporter: nearly half of affected residents say they aren't getting the help they need. >> we did have enough for a deposit, enough to get us a car. we got a couple tvs, a bedroom set. that was about it, that's as far as the fema money took us. >> reporter: her port arthur home was a total loss. the family had to be air lifted out one by one. >> imagine not knowing where you're going to go. >> reporter: the singletons are now renting an apartment in austin. >> i think i went back twice and it is still just a mess. still nasty. i got sick the last time i went back. i would never go back to start over there. >> reporter: for the hardings, even though it can get a little crowded, they are together and home for the holidays. tammy leitner, nbc news, texas. back here closer to home as we look live outside on your sunday morning, we are on our way to some pretty mimd temperatures. yeah, it is december. storm team 4 is tracking the forecast, but wait until you hear what middle towards the end of the week might look like. this is going to be interesting. and we'll introduce you to a team of middle schoolers bringing an 80s classic back in a big way. ♪ whoa! the mercedes-benz winter event is back [ barks ] ho! lease the cla250 for $329 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. streaming and gaming are only as good as your internet. so get the best internet - with the 100% fiber-optic network. get fios gigabit connection, the fastest internet available - with download speeds up to 940 megs - plus a fios custom tv package, with over 150 of your favorite tv channels, and phone, all for just $79.99 per month online. and thanks to our customers, fios by verizon won the j.d. power award for highest ranked by customers for residential internet service satisfaction five years in a row and residential television service satisfaction in 2017. get fios gigabit connection plus tv and phone for just $79.99 per month online with showtime and multi-room dvr service included with a two-year agreement. and now get a two-year price guarantee for over $800 in savings. switch now and get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. get the 100% fiber-optic network. go to getfios.com "what if" more of the came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy. another whirlwind week in politics, but what does it mean heading into the new year? >> we're talking about the results of the senate race in alabama along with a tax bill that could shake things up for you. but here to break it all down, chuck todd. let's first head down to there. what does this do to the political landscape there? >> well, reality is it gives democrats one more senate seats and the political wins are blowing in the democratic party's direction. the way that senate map looks to them, they just happened by the way of the calendar, the senate seats that they have to defend more senate seats than the republicans do. but now they just need two. and, you know, there is open seat seats in nevada, tennessee, arizona. so now they only need two. when they needed three, it was hard to find the three. much easier to find the two. so just that alone means they already felt pretty good about their chances in the house. now they have an opportunity to win both. but that one extra senate seat will also mean that republicans will just have everything has been on a party line vote these collins, sometimes you lose a bob corker. they have very little margin for error to get much done in 2018. >> and paul ryan saying that he is confident that this tax reform bill will pass, he has the votes, calling it historic. the big question people are asking, what does it mean for me. >> it's interesting, i have a couple of questions in my head about they could still hit a hurdle later this week, meaning i don't know -- the biggest complaints about the tax bills since they were passed separately in the house and senate, they tried to address in the conference. for instance a lot of people lived in the so-called blue states. new york, california, virginia, maryland, around here, where some deductions were going to go away. they put most of them back. whether it was a f the educatio stuff, special health care circumstances. they sort of split the difference on the what could deduct on your mortgage interest. they are allowing either state and local or the property tax. so what i don't know is how this still falls within the parameters of only increasing the deficit by $1.5 trillion over ten years. so i think the congressional score keerps still ha score keepers still have to figure it out, but they tried to answer some of the big questions. >> we were asking the same question. >> are your taxes going up, right? i think right now the answer is no. i think the only place where taxes go up is if you live in california or new york city. >> oh, really? >> i think that in every other sense, basically most people even in the new jerseys and marylands, i think looking at the deductions that they kept, i think those folks will see at least temporarily in the first couple years a tax cut. >> all right. good to whole folder -- >> we have the accounting firm here. yeah. ricketts and kec-- >> and you can catch "meet the press" at 10 mement10:30. and at one time or another, we've all tried to solve the rue biks kru rubik's cube, but we have nothing on the local students ranked number one in the country. >> incredible. >> so our photojournalist visited the team in fairfax. take a look. >> your mark, get set, go! so you don't think the algorithms through, you just do them. >> that was 12 seconds. >> we're all competitive against each other, so it helps when you are trying to get a faster time against other people which helps the whole group. >> you look at the first couple pieces to put in the right place and then you go from there. fastest time is 7.7. >> 4.59. >> people think it is pretty much impossible, but after some practice, you can do it in like two you get that team spirit that they really are supporting each other and being the best that they can be sfwlp we ha. >> we have new kids that are pretty good and we're trying to get them better. >> out of the last eight, ten years, our school has been able to be first place. >> and you also have to try to find new ways to try to make >> you bring a cube into the cafeteria and everybody gets excited and says let me try that out. rubik's cube has made a surprising comeback since the 1980s. they get very excited when they get it solved. like anything else when they excel and better themselves, they are happy. >> that is pretty good. >> best time this year. we're five second off from the record. one minute. you're doing great. >> you know, my sister can do that in about three minutes. >> really? >> both my sisters were very smart. i remember taking that entrance exam and seeing shapes and realizing why ni don't know wha going on. >> good for them. >> m you do math. >> i can't do a rubik's cube. i have one on my desk right now. >> really. >> just working on on one side, so it will be a while. >> but you can do a 10 day forecast. >> i can. >> i'm looking forward to tuesday. going to be 60, right? >> and it wasn't that bad yesterday. we made to 48. today we'll be at 50. so i know i have a forecast for something that you are doing today that we talked about yesterday. so i'll show you what you can expect weather-wise. let's show you what is going on outside. we have some clouds starting to move in. they will continue to increase through the morning. so again, we are still warming. next change comes on wednesday. now, we're unsettled all the way through we're watching a holiday system. so again, next week end looks unsettled, but too far away to dive in toot detato the details. 31 right now here in washington. outside the beltway, some 20s. it is a december morning. it will be cool. temperatures will be rising into the 30s throughout the morning. we will have increase in the cloud cover, but we'll be dry out there. and the wind yesterday dried out a lot of the roadways, so patchy ice is not going to be an issue this morning. so again, you can see some of the clouds moving in. this is a system that is moving our way and you can see a pretty big system, that will continue to move up towards the mid-atlantic. however, we have an area of high pressure off the southeast coast, that will almost act as a blocker and rob the system of some of its moisture. so again, as it moves towards our area, just a few spotty showers possible. let's me show you on the future cast of course this is 6:30, you can see the cloud a few spotty showers possible. not everyone going to see it, but maybe take the small umbrella with you as you are out and about. we'll keep monday dry as well. and so again maybe some ice skating today, i think meghan is going ice skating day. plaiding outside, may have beenly dry, a few spotty showers. just keep an eye to the sky or maybe the nbc washington app. we do a hafrnd writthandwritten each zone. and 49 will the high today. again a few showers possible. look at that temperature for tomorrow. we'll be in the mid-50s tomorrow. partly sunny. and now here comes the day meghan is waiting for. 60 on tuesday. breezy on wednda south. and then next weekend, saturday temperatures in the 50s with some rain and then a mix sunday and monday. teo early to ll, but something got two baebies already, 12 10. i said i got the best of both worlds, we married, so technically those babies are your babies. those are your babies, too. she said i know, but i want new ones. i said first of all, don't talk about my kids like they're used cars. okay? >> he'll just take some new kids. no, they are not replaceable. kevin hart hosted snl last night for the third time. foo fighters also were the musical >> we got the winner in our presence. >> i have to keep putting it out there. >> brooke simpson and coach miley cyrus are preparing for the season finale of the "voice." it is do you knwn to the final . simpson is up against tell blake's red marlo. a and also team adam. it is tomorrow night right here on nbc 4. >> just about a week go until christmas, can you believe that? and bethlehem is thought to be where jesus was born and that nativity was created by maltese christians who added traditional objects. bethlehem's mayor says this is a tough one for palestinians following president trump's announcement that the u.s. would recognize jerusalem as magical this time of year, but did you ever wonder who was behind all of those christmas creations? >> an thompson anne thompson g inside the wonder. and just real quick, how cool would it be to be in jerusalem this time of year though? >> incredibly powerful, yeah, to see those images in person. so that is obviously something -- oh, okay. now let's go back to the store windows and check that out. all right. stand by for us. scratch all that. we're going to go to the redskins. >> always a safe place to go. >> redskins take on the cardinals this afternoon at fedex field. we'll be watching. and it will be an emotional game for the safety d.j. this will be his first time taking on his former steechl te also dustin hawkins is finally back after eight weeks on the injured reserve. he was dealing with a hip r muscle. today's kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. >> and i think the biggest fan is lauryn ricketts. and she was like i don't even know what time today's game was because they didn't feel like it was much worth it. but she watches every game. >> she does. >> and we'll continue with much more here on this sunday morning. a lot of news to bring you up to speed on plus lauryn is tracking the 10 day forecast which has some ups and then interesting ten day forecast showing christmas time maybe something coming down. we'll check in with lauryn right after this. welcome in on this sunday morning, the 17th of december, 2017. i'm david culver. >> and i'm meagan fitzgerald. har hard to leave just eight days away is santa going to have any difficulties traveling to the kids houses? i know it's a week away, but i think that's what the kids are thinking. >> and also probably thinking i need to make a decision about what i want. i know some little kids are trying to figure that out because it feels like xmg cochr comes so quick. we could have a mess possibly next weekend. but listen, we're so many days away, so i can tell you what i see, but again, it's all about what actually happens. and as we get closer, we'll nail down that forecast. so i'll show you the 10 day only because we have it, but we'll talk about it and show you what i'm thinking. right now i'm thinking this is cold, 33 degrees. we have cloud cover moving in and that will be the name of the game as we ten through tcontinu morning. so again, maybe a few spotty showers this afternoon and evening. we'll time it out for you and talk about the holiday forecast in about 15 minutes. we've learned more about the deadly hit and run crash in rockville. montgomery county police say ross stanley redler was killed while riding his moped. he was 56 years old. police say the driver of the car ditched the vehicle and ran away. he was tracked down and is now charged with dui. the police just identified him as 24-year-old mark stevens andre much bethesda. this all happened at rockville pike and congressional lane not far from the twin metro station. and this morning a little girl is recovering after she was shot in the leg. d.c. police say kids with your playing with a gun when it went off saturday afternoon. the shooting happened inside an apartment building along pomeroy street in southeast. detectives are interviewing everyone who was there at the time of the shooting, but so far no one has been charged. year when you want to be with your relatives. this can be a difficult time of year for families coping with the loss of a loved one. >> but a group of local mothers is coming together to lift each other up after devastating losses. this is surely a really heart warming story that darcy spencer has more of. >> a lot of times we don't want to wake up. we're not suicidal, but we have to face another day without our babies. >> reporter: they share a common bond, all moms who have lost a child in a shooting. >> how can anyone divorce themselves and pull the trigger and sniff out another person's life? >> reporter: her daughter india died in a police-involved shooting in 2015. she is here for a potluck dinner with the coalition of concerned mothers to uplift each other as the holidays approach. >> as it gets closer to christmas or any holiday, that sadness is still there, but if it is only four, five, six hours today, i want them to walk away with having a great time. >> reporter: and that's what they did, sharing hugs, laughter and some food and drinks. it's a time to relax, to take their mind off their loss. >> it's comforting to be in the presence of other mothers who have had similar tragedies at ours. >> reporter: it's a safe place to share with others who can relate. >> people say rest in petition or our children are in a better place. i beg to differ. the better place is here with us. >> reporter: and tonight they have each other, a few hours to enjoy the friendship of other moms, and to try to forget the painful past. in upper marlboro, darcy spencer, news 4. let's go now to montgomery county where police are searching for a shooter. police found the man shot to apartment building. this map shows where the building is located along falling water circle. police not yet releasing the man's name or motive in this. and votes on the republican tax bill are planned for early this week. kelly o'donnell tells us about the new praise president trump is offering as he waits for what could be his first legislative victory. >> reporter: an eager defense of the tax cut bill as the president headed to camp david. >> many believe that the tax cuts will benefit the wealthy more than the middle class. >> no, this really will mostly benefit the middle class and jobs. companies are coming in, they are pouring in to the country. they have already started. and this will be great for jobs. >> reporter: jobs is white house code for helping middle class families. even with unemployment at a 14 year low, the wages are stagnant. under the gop tax cut plan, a family of four with an income of $73,000 could save roughly $2,000. the standard deduction most tax filers claim would double. the child tax credit also goes up. for parents, those 529 college plans would expand to include tuition saving for k through 12th grade. answering the bill's critics, the president played santa. >> this is going to be one of the great gifts to the middle income people of this country that they have ever gotten. >> reporter: wealthy families and corporations could see the biggest gains. corporate tax rate drops to 21%. the estate tax exemption would allow couples to pass on twice as much with no inheritance tax. the alternative minimum tax intended to prevent overuse of loopholes would kick in at a higher level, $1 million for couples. but the amt ends completely for businesses. political analysts say reaction is weary. >> i think american people have already sized it up to realize that they won't be the direct beneficiaries but large corporate interests are. >> that was kelly o'donnell reporting. coming up on "meet the press," political earthquake. chuck todd will break down last week's highly contested alabama senate race and what it really means for capitol hill. let's take a live look as the sun comes up on this beautiful sunday morning. warming temperatures are on tap. perfect day to get out there and do some last minute shopping. lauryn will be back in a bit to tell us what we can expect outside. and then we'll take you out west where we're watching the latest from southern california as the thomas fire continues to rage on. we'll tell you as we approach this holiday season what ise who live out west. a tough sunday morning for one person who is in the hospital after flames broke out at a georgetown amoupartment building. >> this is the scene just off of wisconsin avenue. d.c. fire officials say the fire started on the second floor of the building just before 1:00 a.m. the fire was contained to that floor, but the person taken to the hospital is expected to be okay. and kids across southern california won't be waking up at home on christmas this morning. >> this is devastate willinfin s investigation devastates. thomas fire continues to thousands homes on saturday, but it continues to pack a dangerous punch. >> this fire is a beast. and it is a monster. we all recognize that. but we will kill it. the team behind me, the men and women out in the field, i have no doubt. >> they are determined. about 95,000 have been forced to evacuate. and this morning the fire is only 40% contained. and the ex-wife of slain nbc star lor echllorenzen wright --r excuse me was taken into cowsdy and charged with first-degree murd murder. this is more than seven years after her husband's body was found in memphis, tennessee. another man named billy turner is also charged first-degree murder. coming up on 7:11. and we are looking live outside. what a beautiful start to your sunday morning. some pretty mild temperatures at this hour bullpt lauryn ricketts tracking the forecast for on you. >> and "news 4 today" continues. temperatures in the 20s and 30s this morning. we'll eventually move those temperatures right into the upper 40s. somewhere to where we were yesterday. and maybe a few spotty sprinkles later this afternoon. so we'll talk about the timing of some rain possibly for your sunday and also talk when your christmas forecast. yeah, that is in the 10 day forecast next weekend. so we'll talk about that coming up. three stations remain closed on the red line this morning, me metro is doing emergency repairs on communication cables. service is expected to be back to normal tomorrow. news 4 iteam working for you getting results. weeks before the legislature convenes for 2018, a key committee has approved plans for new legislation to better protect children. our slipping look investigation revealed virginia's current laws could leave children vulnerable to predators working inside schools. scott macfarlane explains how key members of the state legislature are now proposing some changes. >> reporter: this summer the news 4 iteam revealed a case child protective services found afternoon elementary teacher had engaged in sex abuse against a third grade girl. the teacher has alleways denied the accusation and was not charged but he was on a state abuse registry and he lost his appeal. but over a span of nearly two years, the man managed to find a new teaching job in prince george's county. virginia law allows teachers to keep their licenses and their names off the abuse renhedg reg during the appeals. a state senator says that loophole puts kids at got on this and exposed it and enabl enabled lawmakers to look at this issue and take corrective action. >> reporter: the commission has formally voted to recommend new law when they reconvene in january to reduce the length of the appeals to just 90 days and to prevent people found to have engaged in child abuse from stringing out their appeals and potentially finding new work in other schools. >> this is about the safety of our children. we want the best environment for our kids, we want our kids to thrive in school and obviously to learn in school, but to do that, they really have to be safe. >> virginia's state teachers union says it is waiting to see the language in the actual bill when introduced next month. the union telling the iteam it has frequently urnlgtged a spee resolution to the cases, but there are offices. and we shared the story of a nurse's mission to help at-risk bra babies abandoned when they came into this world and are in unstable homes. that program has evolved and now it is helping kids outside of the hospital as well. and yesterday the hospital hemd t held the 25th annual celebration for at-risk kids. they head with super heros and cartoon characters ands got gifts and a chance to meet santa. >> gives us an opportunity to give back to the community what they have given to us. so we're very thankful. >> this year we're actually a part of the party. >> the program now helps kids who are pediatric outpatients and kids and families who get hospital services. love that. always love to meet santa. >> sweet faces there. and i can't believe it's just a week. >> yeah, really that soon. he's coming. whether you like it or not. >> yes, he's coming. and yeah next sunday is christmas. a week from today. >> and what is even crazier is seeing your 10 day which i know that you will show us. for one, it threw me off that christmas is now on the 10 day. and two, what you have in the middle of the week before we even get to christmas. >> yeah, so we're warming up before cooling back off. so let's go to our matches and show you the sunrise out there. because it is so pretty. it was a little bit more brilliant in colors i'd say maybe like ten minutes ago so you can go on my twitter page and find it. it was gorgeous. temperatures are a little chilly. you can see temperatures are in the 20s and 30s. we'll be in the mid and upper 40s today. maybe two degrees warmer than we were yesterday. so if you are heading out to brunch, we will have a bit more cloud cover around and a few afternoon sprinkles, but not bad with temperatures in the 40s. and nothing showing up on the radar right now. we have more clouds streaming in, they will continue to pile on as we go through the morning mainly because we have this disturbance edging closer to us as go through the morning machine this system will bring us some rain, but we also have an area of transparent off thige east coast and that will help warm us up and it has a blocking pattern that of the moisture. so again, just a few spotty showers later this afternoon. here is our futurecast. this morning we have the clouds moving in rather quickly. here is a few spotty sprinkles, but that is about it. and then we go into monday, we'll have partly sunny skies and that will continue throughout the day and temperatures will even be warmer on monday. so today we're at 49 with a few light showers possible in the evening. and then tomorrow morning, partly sunny, temperatures in the upper tlirts 30s. and then we'll continue to take the temperatures into the mid-50s tomorrow. average for this time of year is about 48 degrees. so we'll be 54 tomorrow under partly sunny skies. and we will be dry tomorrow. and dry on tuesday. temperatures will be at 60 on tuesday. and then a frontal system will come in tuesday night and wednesday, it will be dry. wednesday could be some rain south maybe central virginia and south of that. and it will be breezy thursday and friday dry, and here comes our system. saturd, rain chance especially with temperatures in the mid-50s. this system is trending a little warmer, so we could have a mix christmas eve, possibly snow on monday for christmas day. i know we would like that, but again, we have to get everybody safe traveling. and this of course won't do that. so we'll continue to wat ch ♪ ♪ it feels good to be back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ got two babies already, 12, 10. i said i got the best of both worlds, we married, so technically those babies are your babies. those are your babies, too. she said i know, but i want new ones. i said first of all, don't talk about my kids like they're used cars. okay? >> kevin hart hosted snl last night for the third time. foo fighters also were the musical guests. lead singer is from northern virginia. >> i didn't know that. cool. all right. 7:24. are you hitting the mall after church today? >> we have you covered with the storm team 4 forecast. >> reporter: and some residents in this vienna neighborhood were al ld flying here. coming up, why they want the flags taken down and what the man who owns them ha [lance] it is absolute chaos out here! ...don't know if you can hear me, can we get a shot of this cold front, right here. [vo] progress is an unstoppable force. brace yourself for the season of audi sales event. mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow. but after an electrical fire from faulty wiring, mary's vintage clothing and designer shoe collection were ruined. luckily, the geico insurance agency had recently helped mary with renters insurance, and she got a totally fab replacement wardrobe at bloomingdale's. mary was inspired to start her own fashion line, exclusively for little lambs. visit geico.com and see how affordable renters insurance can be. ♪ [vo] the season of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event. welcome back in on this 17th of december, 2017. with adam and angie off, i'm david culver. >> and if you stepped outside yesterday, you probably noticed it was surprisingly warmer because it was friday that was just really, really cold. >> brutally cold. you didn't haven't to wear a full winter coat last night. it was kind of nice. >> yeah, i think that you can put it away for a little bit. you will need it this morning, but temperatures today will be maybe a degree or two warmer than they were yesterday even though we are having advancing clouds moving in. it let's show you the maps. it was a beautiful sunrise, now it is subdued. the pink hue, a gorgeous sunrise. but there is increasing cloud cover. so i tweeted it out on my twitter page, and again maybe take a gander at that, it was gorgeous out there this morning. right now we're looking at temperatures 33 degrees, so a little chilly out there. again, more clouds will move in as we go through the day. temperatures right into the 40s before noon, again upper 40s by this afternoon. we were in the upper 40s yesterday, but again or two warmer today. so we cool back down on wednesday, and then we are tracking the holidays. christmas eve a week away from today. cannot believe it. so we'll be talking about that, travel concerns for that weekend and for that holiday, because we have a big storm system that we're watching. it's several days away, but we'll be talking about that coming up in about 15 minutes or so. >> yeah, a big 10 day forecast to share. thanks. so as we head to northern virginia now, i want to show you some images. go y do you recognize the flags? some folks in a vienna neighborhood say that they represent hate. julie carey spoke with the owner and he says his neighbors have it all wrong. >> reporter: it's a flag embraced by some in the alt-right movement purportedly carried by demonstrators in charlottesville. so some vienna residenting we s alarmed to see it at neighbor's. derrick rice is the owner. this is his capitalism flag and then the keck represents a fictional country. some see it as an adaptation of the nazi war blagojevich, but he says the alt-right has hijacked it. >> it is satire, playing on the fact that people in the modern day are very obsessed about race. i'm more interested in race equality. >> reporter: the woman who called us says she sees them differently. they finds it offensive, even hurtful in this diverse community. >> the concern is that there is somebody that ascribes to those beliefs in our neighborhood and we don't really agree with that and we want everybody to feel welcome and we don't want to perpetuate hate. >> reporter: a few neighbors put hate has rice invites them to talk to him instead about his political philosophy and what he thinks the flags convey. >> peace, nonviolence. if you researched it, you would have come across the principle. >> reporter: the flags we're told don't violate the rules here. julie carey, news 4. the largest company in the world for hotels will keep thousands of jobs in bethesda. wtop report that marriott international will move its headquarters to downtown bethesda by 2022. it will be built near the metro station there. the current building sits near i i-270 in the beltway. montgomery county approved the plans earlier this week. last year the county gave marriott a $69 million incentive to stay. >> that is and when we think about to the past year, weather-wise, not so great news. it has been very difficult in a lot of different regions across the country. and specifically in texas where hurricane harvey slammed the southern part of that say ttate. >> and tammy leitner shows us there is still work to be done. >> reporter: it is chaos in harding family house. they have been crammed into their second floor ever since hurricane harvey flooded their suburban houston neighborhood. >> this is living room, bedroom, kitchen room, dining room. >> reporter: you may remember eric harding because of this viral video. the pastor says he simply wanted to show his 13-year-old son the piano he loved so much still worked. >> it kind of became this little piece of hope for some reason. >> reporter: nearly 900,000 texans were affected by the storm. for many recovery has been painfully slow. >> right now we're in that initial recovery phase. is it doing as fast as any of us would like? no, not really. >> reporter: fema says part of the challenge is the massive scale of damage which stretches roughly 41,000 square miles, larger than the state of maine. >> but we are making progress. >> reporter: nearly half of affected residents say they aren't getting the help they need. >> we did have enough for a deposit, enough to get us a car. we got a couple tvs, a bedroom set. that was about it, that's as far as the fema money took us. >> reporter: her port arthur home was a total loss. the family had to be airlifted out one by one. >> imagine not knowing where you're going to go. >> reporter: the singletons are now renting an apartment in austin. >> i think i went back twice and it is still just a mess. still nasty. back. i would never go back to start over there. >> reporter: for the hardings, even though it can get a little crowded, they are grateful to be together and home for the holidays. tammy leitner, nbc news, texas. several a reminder to be grateful for the little things this holiday season. so on the question is, are you going home for the holidays or is there is a destination vacation in store for you? >> let's go to hawaii. reality is wherever you go, you won't be by yourself. you'll have a lot of company with you. we'll have the travel forecast for you. good morning. it is a bringing game sunday here in washington. the red skin hosting the cardinals in a many. redskins officially out of the playoff, but plenty to play for. the defense hoping to get back on track, a rough five weeks, a 1-4 record with the defense giving up 374 yards per game and allowing 30 points per game. frustration all over this roster, including team leaders like josh norman who knows where the problems lie. >> i think communication for us is lacking. we're suffering in areas in which we have injuries, everybody has injuries. got to all speak the same language, same lingo. >> crank up the music, sunday night football cowboys visiting the raiders, final game without ezekiel elliott, cowboys 2-3 without elliott, still clinging to their playoff hopes. it all starts at78: and we'd like you to be part of ours.. so our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. you pay what we pay. not a cent more. we're so happy to share this with you. it's our way of saying happy holidays. and welcome to the family... the chevy family. use your employee discount for everyone and trade up to this silverado all star to get a total value of over eleven thousand dollars. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. cutting taxes, 15i6i ingsav government all in the week ahead. there is barely a vote to spare, they on a tight schedule if they want to get the bill to president trump before christmas. and there will be a rush to pass a new spending bill to keep the federal government from running out of money. that deadline is friday. and dow nike is reporting along with fedex, general mills and also carnival. finally the biggest movie opening of 2017 will also be one of the last debuts of the year. star wars the last jedi on track to gross 200 million. that is enough to rang it as the fourth biggest of opening all-time behind star wars the force awakens, jurassic world and the a jen gvengers. cnbc. here we are amidst the holiday times and it is time to be with family, some of us already home for the holidays. others hitting the road. >> i'm heading up to jersey. >> and you should expect a few other drivers on the road with you. going to be busy. >> aaa just released its end of year travel forecast. and as chris clackum reports, many of those trips won't involve extended family at all. >> reporter: whether by plane, train, but mostly by automobile, aaa expects this christmas/new year to be the busiest ever. >> we are tracking 107 million travelers. >> a lot of road rage out there, and you have to manage that, right? >> have to make sure that you get to where you're going because you got precious cargo with you and you're going to see precious cargo. >> reporter: not even gas prices, 25 cents a gallon americans from traveling this holiday period that runs from december 23 through january 1. >> we also are seeing that the labor market is doing fairly well. consumers have more money in their pocket and they are more confident, so they are actually spending that money and contributing more to travel. >> reporter: and not all travel is related to being home for the holidays. aaa's tamron johnson says destinations like california, florida, mexico and hawaii mean travelers want a little me time too. >> this is definitely an opportunity to get away, a little stress free vacation before heading back into the new year. >> reporter: airfares, 20% lower than last christmas, are also making this season a bit brighter. chris clackum, nbc news. look at that sunrise. pretty. good morning to you if tracking the temperatures that will be rising. and of course we'll take a look at one of santa's workshops, that is all when "news 4 today" conties.nu weland you look amazinglyes! youcomfortable. . when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed. add downy to keep your collars from stretching. unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and... ...strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. if you are headed out to maybe do some activities, we have some ice skating and keep an eye to the sky with a few but other than that, we are looking good. i saw a lot of kids playing outside yesterday. still mild today. but we will have more cloud cover around. and even watching football, we're talking about the redskins, yes, they are still playing. and in case you are going to the game, we'll talk about that forecast and time out some rain chances later on this afternoon coming up. store windows, they so magical this time of year. do you ever wonder who is behind all that christmas creation? >> yeah, because it is really pretty. and anne thompson got a peek inside the workshop that is building wonder this holiday season. >> reporter: in a working class area of brooklyn, next to the body shop, inside this nondescript building, magic. >> we're going to my world. >> reporter: wow. it can be overwhelming. i don't know where to look. so much to see and hear and take in. merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: all from the opera inspired imagination of lou nsfsky. are you a romantic at heart? >> oh, yeah. i'm sicilian and there borookly. >> reporter: he makes inanimate on objects come to-bit life. >> part nasa and a little frank stein. >> reporter: he is santa's ultimate helper. >> 5:00 on in the morning i'm here and i stay unday every day 5:00. sunday i leave a little early or it is called divorce. >> reporter: 50 years ago, lou gained fame when he built a row robot that landed him on the front page. and now fans have sought his services around the globe. >> is he a magician. >> reporter: and this home has been lit up for the last five years. a tribute to his wife who died on 9/11. >> every year we raise money in debbie's honor. and it all goes to the hospital. >> reporter: how do i know one of your displays? >> it will make you laugh, make you smile, i promise. >> reporter: and give life to the spirit of the season. afterno anne thompson, nbc news. and with just about a week until xmts, a inchristmas, a na scene was unveiled in bethlehem, it was created by maltese christians who added traditional objects. bethlehem's mayor says this holiday stone is a pam palestinians following president trump's announcement that the u.s. recognizes jerusalem as the capital. and a couple in florida adopted not one, but seven siblings. they were all split up into separate foster homes after their biological parents couldn't care for them any longer. this will be their first christmas as a family. they were kind enough to let kerry sanders spend a day with them. >> reporter: they always knew they might address don't. one, maybe two. but seven? and all at once? >> it was all or none. >> reporter: because even though they were in three separate foster homes, all seven are brothers and sisters. >> if you had not adopted, what would have happened with this family of seven? >> more than likely they would have got split up. >> no questions asked. if they allow us toed a don't these children, we will do it. we will do whatever it tes them. >> reporter: were it not for a news story posted on facebook -- >> this group has had their family pulled in all directions. >> reporter: they never would have known the kids dreamed of a forever home. >> i feel like it was a calling honestly. when i saw that picture, it was automatic. >> reporter: as it turns out, this childless couple in florida could not have been more prepared. both served, both deployed to iraq, both now back in florida. today desean is a math teacher. sophia, a social worker. their deep love coupled with their military background made the ramp up from no children to seven remarkably smooth. but you may still wonder, how do they do it all? including the finances. >> we don't spend a lot for ourselves as much as we used to. >> reporter: as soon as the kids get home from school, they are right homework, and then fun time, sports, dinner. >> they know the drill. they know the schedule. and they like the structure. and they like the discipline. and they help each other out. they hep lp us out. >> reporter: a family rhythm unknown until adoption. >> i never had a mom and dad, but it feels great. they dot like have something like peanut butter and jelly. >> reporter: siblings separated for so long, memories started to fade. >> i almost forgot about somebody. >> reporter: but this christmas, a wish granted. >> i was hoping that it could happen. so it is like a dream come true. >> reporter: a dream that began when this lovely lady met this fella and they knew it was much more than a hunch all nine would make a happy bunch. for news, florida. >> i love that. modern day brady bunch. >> there are some good souls in this world. unbelievable to see that. and the kids don't mask it, are the pure joy. so sweet. >> a great story. well, kids around here are probably looking forward to santa coming. we are just a week away. can you believe this? >> a week away. did you go shopping yesterday? >> we both made progress. yes, we did. >> i even got some stocking stuffers. >> no way. you go, girl. >> i didn't get that. >> have to step up the game. today will be a good shopping day. we may have some rain later on this afternoon, so maybe a small umbrella. nothing too bad. temperatures will be a degree or two warmer than we were yesterday. we were in the upper 40s yesterday. so it won't be t as we go through the day today. and then we warm it up monday and tuesday as well. let's show you what is going on out there. because we continue on this hrrming trend all the way ough tuesday. and then we start to slide a little bit on wednesday. that will be our next change in the weather. but really not expecting too much precipitation between now and then. and really now and the end of the workweek. and then next weekend looks a little unsettled. we could have some wintry weather for on the weekend and of course it is the holiday weekend. 33 right now in the district. 20s outside the beltway. it is a little on the cool side, but we'll warm up into the 40s. so looking good for sunday. a few afternoon sprinkles or maybe a spotty shower. nothing happening on the storm team 4 radar right now, clouds continue to pile in, this is our next system that will make its waymid-atlantic. but an area of high pressure off the southeast coast will push warm weather into our region and also act as a blocking pattern moisture. so again, we'll have spotty shower, but nothing like what is coming at us right now. so it will weaken. let me show you, 7:30 again we have clearing skies, but clouds roll in rather quickly. still 3:00, we're still looking at some spotty showers. that is it from that system. and then we start to dry out as we get into your monday. partly sunny skies monday and monday will be in the mid-50s. at the ked rredskins game at 1: 474 degrees. no, i was making this map so quick. i was making this so fast because i for on got about the redskins game about that i'm so sorry. i'm a huge skins fan.got about redskins game about that i'm so sorry. i'm a huge skins fan. 49 will be the temperature today. but again, if you are heading out to fedex, maybe havehe need it. tomorrow we'll have the temperatures in the 50s for day time highs tomorrow. partly sunny skies. and then 60 on tuesday. we stay in the 40s thursday and friday. rain south, through central virginia on wednesday. but then we have rain chances saturday, sunday, monday, could have a mix. just too early to tell yet. wll keep an eye ote'n "what if" more of the energy we used came from renewable resources? 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"what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy. coming up on 7:56. 34 thi 4 things to know -- police are investigating a late night deadly crash in rockville. 56-year-old ross stanley redler died. and mark steven andre is charged with dui. we'll have updates for you on "news 4 today." and we hope to learn more in the coming days after a little girl was shot in the leg saton saturday. no one has been charged. and a fire on the second floor of this apartment building in georgetown. it happened on m street just before 1:00 this morning. one person had to be rushed to the hospital but is expected to be okay.reminder brookland, ft. totten and tacoma are closed on the red line, but service is tomorrow. >> so let's do the math. a christmas eve a week from today. >> so crazy. yeah, let's show you what is going on. and speaking of that -- i left the clicker on the other side. but we have a chance for a little bit of a mix possibly especially sunday into monday of next week. saturday we could just see some rain, but temperatures will be in the mid-50s. so again, for next weekend, we are looking at temperatures that could be in the 50s on saturday, by sunday we're in the 30s, but monday we are in the 30s. so again, something to watch. >> all over the place. all right. that does >> we have shown the country the way. >> everybody knew. >> december 17th.