road was dry when the bus flipped over. the driver was hurt. we're told that he is in custody. it's heartbreaking news tonight that a family was involved. anna behar and her son died and moses behar and his son were hurt. >> erika, a heartbreaking tragedy. thank you. only on news4, a consumer investigation getting some results this afternoon. >> last month we told you about controversial guardrails lining our roads. today maryland announced it's not going to install any more of these. >> susan hogan is working for you and she's here with an update. >> that's right. the problem here is with the end piece of this guardrail and there are a lot of other situations like this but this is defective and sometimes it leads at least six people have been killed after crashes into these x-lites. about a dozen states, including virginia, decided to stop using the x-lite. and transportation officials tell us starting immediately they will only use guardrails that meet new, stricter crash test standards. the x-lite does not qualify. >> with the removal of the x-lite from the approved list, we made the decision to stop new installation and go with the new products. >> now, starting next summer, all states will have to switch to products that meet these new standards in order to meet federal money to buy guardrails but there are still roughly 2,000 of these x-lites in terminals installed that will remain in place for now. in a statement to news4, the maker of the x-lite says there's nol road safety equipment that can prevent injury every time a driver fails to stay on the road. now, if you would like to watch our entire consumer investigation, go to the nbc washington app and search guardrails. >> did you hear about a timeline as to when those others that are on the road will be taken out? >> only if there's a massive recall or if the states decide to do that. so what happened here today, say that a guardrail in maryland is damaged. they will no longer replace it that's huge at this point. there's no reason for them to have to do that. if there is a recall, as i said, that is when that would happen. >> got it. >> and let me tell you, one of the fathers -- and you'll see if you watch the piece and go online, and time will tell on that. >> very important information. >> nice work. >> thank you. >> good results. thank you. >> now we're going to turn to storm team 4. christmas is a few days away and we're in for a roller coaster. >> yeah, if you're in town and hitting the road, everybody needs to be prepared. let's go to doug kammerer in the storm center. and it's going to coincide with the holiday weekend and christmas. out there right now, we're much cooler and still 51 in d.c. 52 in richmond. no real cold air out there just yet. we're tracking a storm system to our south. that system stays to our south. we told you yesterday if you're traveling south on i rain and you can still see that rain down into parts of north carolina and parts of both carolines na.s na. we'll continue to follow that. i-95 is going to be a mess that way. chilly tomorrow. tracking your travel plans. if you've got travel plans, we've got your forecast for you. over the next couple of days, a lot of different players, as i mentioned, to talk about. looking cold for christmas now and, yes, still a chance for some snow. we'll talk more about that as well. see you back here in a minute. >> thank you, doug. with so many ups and downs in our holiday weather, it's a good time to have that nbc washington app on your phone. check the radar and see the hourly forecast anytime, anywhere. a stunning development in the razor-thin house election in virginia. a court now says it's a tie. this is in a district in the newport news area. yesterday it looked like the democrat was going to win by vote however an uncounted ballot was challenged. state law says the winner is going to be picked by lot. now, it's not clear how or when that is going to take place. for now, the balance of power in the virginia house is still in question. we'll keep you posted. unbelievable. you got the alert from the nbc washington app this afternoon. the gop tax bill passed the house again. happening right now, the republicans are doing a victory lap at the white house. but you want to know what it means for your paycheck? we're going to go back to erika in the newsroom to explain what happened. >> pat, it was a procedural snag. this afternoon, the bill has passed both houses and is ready for president trump's signature. it is the biggest change to the nation's tax laws in three decades. you are likely to experience it in at least two ways. first, the amount of federal taxes taken from your paycheck may change and, second, want to rethink the deductions on your 2018 taxes. republicans say changing the tax code will put money back in american's pockets and help the economy. >> this gets us better wages, bigger paychecks, a simpler tax system. this gets the american economy competitive in the global economy. this is one of the most important things we could do for all of the people we represent. >> democrats disagree. they insist these tax code changes will hurt middle class families and had the pockets of big corporations. president trump is going to sign the bill later this fwheek a ceremony. pat, back to you. >> erika, thank you. we're working for you breaking down this complicated tax bill from the child tax credits to the state and local deductions. find easy to understand details in the nbc prince george's county officials say the living conditions are not okay. news4 reported on monday about this, complaints of mold, old food, mice in the shelter and no heat. county inspectors have taken a look at what is going on inside. bureau chief tracee wilkins spoke with them about what they found and here's what they said. tracee? >> reporter: pat, we're standing outside the family crisis center. i just finished speebaking with the director. we were shown pictures on monday of mold on the walls, the heat is not working, vents are broken, lots of dust, a dirty environment. the director of the shelter would not confirm that the pictures were taken from inside of her >> it looks like from the sign of the room. >> you would think that the room is fine, room temperature is fine, a mold issue. that's what you're saying? >> that is what i'm saying. >> reporter: now, the director of family services took a tour inside that shelter. so did the department of inspections here in the county. hear now a bit from the director of family services. on monday i talked to the executive director and told me the shelter is fine. there are no issues with the shelter. >> i can't speak to that, unfortunately, but i can speak to what i saw and i can't say to you that things are fine. the county is not fine. >> to ensure all of the things noted during my visit are going to be taken care of as soon as with an employee who was in tears when she thought about what those women were dealing with. >> thank you, tracee. and in arlington, a woman was going to attend a holiday party and news4 pat collins has the details of this case. pat, what's the story here? >> tired of sad stories, are you? bored with bad news? want a little happiness? now, don't cut out on me early on this one. watch it until the very end. this is jenny crawford. she's a social worker for cci health and wellness services in silver spring. i don't think she'd mind if i and for that big birthday she planned to go on a safari and all of the paper right there in her black purse. so you guess you figured out what is about to happen here. last night on her way to a holiday party she gets off the metro and has her cell phone in one hand, her purse in another when all of a sudden, ambush. >> a guy came up behind me running full tilt and i fell to the ground and he took off. >> reporter: with her purse in hand, that chief went across the boulevard and across the median walkway and wilson boulevard. he was booking. >> did you think that that purpose was long gone? >> absolutely. i had a sinking feeling of, oh, my word, how am i going to recover the contents of things that i need. >> reporter: enter the for a walk. although, sometimes it's hard to tell whoes walking whom. they spot the thief. they spot the purse and the chase is on. >> i got the guy cornered and i said, look, drop the bag or i let him go after you and even though he's really, really friendly, he's kind of -- the guy dropped the bag and then we grabbed the purse and then we head off. >> reporter: even though he's only seven months old, the dog has his own instagram page. the mini bull. what's next? movies? leon and pat, back to you. >> that's awesome. >> i'll take that dog home. >>ç mozzle. >> thank you, pat. >> only pat can tell a story like that. my man. a holiday in people's hearts zm how are you doing with your shopping? are you running out of time to get those gifts in the mail? a big deadline that you need to know about now. and going to storm team 4, our holiday weather is changing. we have the up and down christmas forecast. and we'll look at when we see drenching rain and serious cold moving in. and what about snow? ♪ it's a song similar to some here in washington. maura sullivan since "christmas eve in washington." she's challenging the peace, love and laughter as she faces a new diagnosis. >> david culver caught up with maura in woodbridge today. >> reporter: you don't often see a lot of smiles coming from a hospital bed. >> i feel good. and i feel hopeful. >> reporter: you may recognize her voice from popular christmas songs. ♪ >> christmas eve in washington is distinctively local and patriotic. she co-wrote the song with jim london who passed away in 2012. moore became a realtor and children's book author and still gets cd requests from all over the world. >> when people have traveled and we're getting requests from all over the world on radio stations. >> reporter: it's a song that is especially meaningful. just before thanksgiving, she felt pain in her leg. it's led to a cancer diagnosis. >> i have stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to my liver and it was -- everything slows and becomes surreal. >> reporter: her insurance recently lapsed. her friends have put together this >> you know, it's very humbling. >> reporter: she's undergoing treatment and surgery. today she's going back home to her dog jack, grateful for your prayers this christmas eve in washington. david culver, news4. >> to learn more about the effort to help maura, search "christmas eve in washington." we have a link set up to her gofundme page. >> we wish you well, maura. turning now to the weather, the weather keeps turning on us. >> yeah. and this is normally we would say from fall to winter. today is the last day of fall and today the first day of winter. battle of seasons happening right now. warm, cool, where are we going? this is when everybody starts to get sick. take a look outside right now. you can see what is happening out there across our cloud cover moved in. clouds gave way to sun and back to clouds because of a system down to our south. current system at 51. winds out of the northwest at 8. we hit 53 earlier when we had that sunshine and now we start to see those numbers cool evenly tonight. 46 in gaithersburg and 49 in manassas. still a little above average for this time of year. storm team 4 is dry. we would not see any rain and the best chance is south of fredericksburg and that's exactly what we're seeing down here, south of richmond, some shower activity into southern virginia and traveling i-95 is going to be on the wet side. raleigh is getting it down towards columbia, south carolina, atlanta. if you still have the upper area of low pressure, see that spin right there, that's got to come across the i-95 area and maybe 75 and 81 if you're thinking about taking those down south toni you may run into some rain. to the north, however, not dealing with any problems there. as far as what we're dealing with here tomorrow, not a bad day. it will be cool but about average for this time of year. starting off around 36. our average now is 45. it will be a little above average. 41 degrees at 7:00. really looking pretty good in the afternoon. up to 54 on friday with more cloud cover. then we get to saturday and a really good chance for rain. we've got 62 for a high but it's not going to be a very nice afternoon. as a matter of fact, this is what i'm expecting. periods of rain and warm temperatures. rain is heavy at times. half an inch to maybe more than an inch of rain and we need the rain as it comes in on saturday and it could be a big travel day. travel trouble out there, especially if you're driving up and down around the mid-atlantic. it looks like the storm system will be one to watch. christmas eve, if you're train colder air comes in again on christmas. this is an afternoon high because temperatures fall all day and especially in the morning, maybe some a.m. rain or snow possible. there's a storm possible but we'll watch that one. right now it's not looking like it's a big deal. a little bit of a chance wednesday night into thursday. it could be a bigger storm as we move into next week. that's something that we'll watch very closely. a little more on the travel forecast here. we'll see you at 4:45. if you're traveling, we've got you covered. >> all right. thank you, doug. cookies, egg nog, tom sherwood's candy spice pecan and no time to exercise. >> we've got you covered. some ways to be festive and fit this year. plus, why were all of these santas marching [ splash ] [ horn sounds ] dang! ok, i gotta run. hey, wait, there's something i need to tell you- dang. dang! dang! dang. dang. see zero in a whole new way. and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. z2m7fz z16fz y2m7fy y16fy we all know it's easy to have a second glass of wine or dessert during this time of year. >> and it's easy to skip the ex in with a trainer who says you can still enjoy the season and stay healthy. >> reporter: the holidays have a way of making it hard to get to the gym and keep up those healthy habits. but when you mess up, don't worry. >> don't go crazy. you can have a cheat meal but don't make it a cheat day. >> reporter: while watching what you eat, work in simple exercises to subfor your gym routine. >> the first exercise is a body weight squat. she's standing on her heels. >> reporter: next, a classic or modified pushup. >> legs are straight. everything is locked up. say you can't do it that way. here's the modified version. go to your knees. the next version is what we call a front lunge. >> trhi >> pull your shoulders back. >> reporter: as you go low for this hinge movement. >> and the russian twist. >> she's holding in this deep position here. if you can't do it that way, put your feet on the floor, too. >> reporter: aim for 10 to 15 reps of each exercise. you'll want to do the whole routine two to three times or your personal best. justin finch, news4. >> so to make sure you're getting the best benefit, don't forget the nutrients. >> a healthy dish for the holidays? >> you have no tricks that you use? >> during the holidays, no. i just give we've got shortbread, gingerbread cake. it's tough. >> here's what i like to do. some of the exercises that delaney was doing, after you eat, during the commercials, go for a walk. >> all right. get ready, get set, because we're about to go to a commercial. >> okay. >> i want to see what you've got. the last thing you want when you're heading home for the holidays is a run-in with the tsa. the best way to breeze through to your gate. and we're monitoring some really big changes for the holiday weekend. >> that's right. everything from rain to cold amelia and i are tracking a storm to our south. we're tracking the rest of your christmas holiday. we've got the travel forecast for you whether it's today, tomorrow or this weekend, we've got you covered coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you, doug. two days and counting until the government runs out of money but there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency at the white house. president trump is taking a victory lap. blayneç alexander is at the whe house for us. >> reporter: a victory lap indeed. no t sign it into law and already republicans are celebrating. republicans beginning their victory lap at the white house. >> you think you haven't heard this expression, but we are making america great again. you haven't heard that, have you? >> reporter: after successfully selling the bill in congress, it's now to sell it to the american people. >> it's the largest tax cut in the history of our country and reform. but tax cut. really something special. >> this is the kind of relief that americans deserve. >> reporter: the first legislative win delivering two campaign promises for the price of one. >> we essentially repealed obamacare because we got rid of the individual mandate which was terrible. >> reporter: hours earlier, the house battling one last time permanent tax cut to corporations but no long-term guarantees to the middle class. >> it's a ponzi scheme. >> the measure passing for a second time after a technicality forced an embarrassing revote. now looming before congress, a friday deadline. first, celebration for president trump and his party. and about that possible government shutdown, both republicans and democrats, many members of the parties have promised repeatedly that they will come up with a compromise to keep the government open though we haven't seen one just yet, pat, and it appears that they will have to do a short-term agreement. >> our flash survey shows that you are not sold on the benefit. we ask how you think it will affect you and the vast majority of people say don't know yet. colin kaepernick has received several awards this year. he was a finalist for "time" magazine's person of the year. he's still a quarterback without a team. there could be a new opportunity object the horizon for him. whur is here with today's "talk around town." something came up recently. p. diddy combs, sean combs, talking about buying the carolina panthers? >> yes, at the end of the season. >> and colin kaepernick has been thrown out there as a possible partner? >> he said he'd be interested in taking on the purchase of the carona of course with the good, we have some skeptical ones. >> reporter: i just don't think the establishment is going to let that happen. >> our listeners really hope this comes to fruition. they are keeping their fingers crossed. >> the biggest wrinkle is the fact that kaepernick is in a lawsuit with the nfl even though he's suing them. that would be a bigger hurdle. something else, let's talk about this other case. i know your listeners have been talking about this because it's so gross. a white college student in connecticut was putting her own personal bodily fluids on the belongings of her black roommate and then bragging abit saying i got rid of the jamaican barbie. there was pressure to have her charged with a hate crime. that didn't happen. >> upset is putting it mildly. they were angry and disgusted, as you said, to see what she wrote in instagram, clearly showed a sign of racial cause for why she did what she did. they want the state's attorney there to file federal hate crime charges. now, we have a student and her name is alea from temple hills. she responded about what she felt when she heard this story. >> i feel that majority of people go to school to receive an education. we go there to make ourselves better and improve ourselves. we don't go there to marginalize or completely at fault someone's personal space. i would never expect this to happen at any institution. there's no room for it at any level of he had i guess >> we're going to keep a close eye on this. >> it really is. >> taylor thomas, thank you. >> thank you both. here's something you do not expect to see when you're doing your holiday shopping. santa claus on the picket line. why all of these st. nick's were protesting outside of a bustling store. plus, ahead at z2m7ez z16fz y2m7ey y16fy if you haven't shipped your holiday presents yet, listen up, we're working for you and we have the latest dropoff dates to arrive by christm deadline for fedex 2 day and ups 2nd day air, usps priority mail. >> friday is the deadline for the postal service priority mail express delivery and monday, which is christmas day, of course, fedex will drieliver th same day. we saw some angry santas. >> union organizers are holding similar protests saying walmart workers are not being paid fairly during the holidays. the angry santas tried to present the manager at this store in walmart with a petition but they were turned away at the door. >> the union organizers say walmart stopped paying holiday pay last year. the santas and helpers handed out flyers to walmart customers today. >> we want them to be aware of how walmart treats treat them very well as much as they say they do with their fancy commercials on tv. >> walmart released a statement to news4 saying its paid time off program is designed to give associates more stability in their lives. the company adds that both full and part-time workers get paid leave for each walmart holiday. a permanent honor for a young woman from virginia. how charlottesville was just given the victim of that city's deadly protest a lasting legacy. >> plus, we're working for you. some easy ways to get through airport security this holiday season without being stopped. and as we take a look at storm team 4 if you're traveling south into the carolinas or towards kentucky or tennessee, some rain in those areas but what does travel look like for tomorrow? four things to know. i'm erika gonzalez. the gop tax bill passed the house again. a procedural snag delayed things yesterday but this afternoon the bill has passed both houses and is ready for president trump's signature. a signing ceremony is expected to happen later this week. five members of a local family are among the victims in a deadly tour bus accident in mexico. anna behar and her son david were killed. the children's grandmother was also killed in this accident. the family was on a bus carrying cruise ship passengers to the may yan ruins. the last piece of the amtrak has been hauled away but investigators are still trying to figure out why it derailed on monday and why it was speeding. there's also evidence that the distracted by somebody else in the cab at the time. the united states postal service is expected to ship more than 100,000 passengers in the d.c. metro area between now and christmas day and today is the deadline to mail your holiday gifts using the postal services priority mail. good luck to you. back to you guys in the studio. >> thanks, erika. >> thanks. doug, if we're planning to hit the road on saturday. >> yes. >> what do we need to know? >> i've got a lot of questions from people from pittsburgh and down towards raleigh. we have some issues travelwise. this is not really great weather as far as travel weather goes and right now we're dealing with rain to our south. let's take a look and show you what we're dealing with. if you're traveling out of dca, no most of the country is looking okay. 45 in gaithersburg and 49 in manassas. i think we'll cool quickly around the midnight hour. notice the radar, nothing around our region until you get down to the south. this is part of a much bigger system. you may run into problems but there's a much bigger system coming in friday into saturday. amelia and i have been tracking the travel weather. amelia has more on that. >> take a look at the wider picture on radar. if you're heading down to the carolinas, you're going to move in to rain in those locations but no flight delays in these areas. i just checked flight aware. now, tomorrow, here's your travel forecast. you can see in the mid-atlantic, it's all sunshine and on the co we'll have highs here in the district at 46. unless you're flying into denver, you're going to deal with snow and for the most part, warm weather in kansas city, little rock and dallas. quiet weather up and down the eastern seaboard. locally during the day on friday, no problems at all. we'll keep it completely dry. friday night, if you're planning on leaving late, could be dealing with rain. if you're traveling on saturday, a big heads up, rain impacts the area on saturday. even at 7:00 a.m. heç we start off at 50 degrees. you can see what to e you're traveling. you can see this is pittsburgh. 36 degrees at noon. 55 degrees. d.c. at noon, likely dry. notice rain starting to move back into our mountain in the western zones there as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. rain moves into the district. high temperatures on saturday, around 60 degrees. so it's mild. saturday night, though, doug, we're still tracking rain in the metro area and then doug moves out on sunday and as far as christmas goes, i was saying this earlier and i'll say it again, it's more boring but good for travel weather overall. >> exactly. the more this cold air comes in and pushes the storms in farther out to see. 46 tomorrow and 54 on friday. no problems there. saturday is the day that we have to watch travelwise. christmas eve, looking good for travel. here's monday. right now, christmas for a high of 39 degrees. the temperatures are falling through the day and itok showers are possible. this is something we'll watch closely but does not look like much in the way of storms. it will be a much colder week. >> thank you, doug. a sad twist in the story about a fire that forced families from their homes in prince georges county. >> let's go to jim and wendy. hi, guys. >> hi. >> this is a remarkable story. a woman and her family survived the massive apartment fire. >> what's so remarkable about this, this is the third time in five years that tanya and her family have been burned out of a home. the third time. chris gordon talks about what it is like to go through this yet again. plus, maybe you're giving a gift card to a specific chain. >> this is some of the best reading i have ever seen. tom is going to join us from "the washington post" to tell us worst chains. it is a hoot. and sobering. >> really? >> we can't wait for that. we'll show you what tom looks like, too. >> a tribute today for a woman fighting against hate and bigotry in charlottesville. today, the city dedicated part of the street where heather heyer was killed. people were protesting a white nationalist rally when she was killed. >> i'm glad that they recognize what she means to the history of the city. she's only a small memorial because she's only a small part of the rich part of the history of this city. >> some of the first scholarships from that fuwi the countdown begins. we are just five days away from christmas and that means holiday travel is kicking into high gear now. >> that's right. if you're headed to the airport, there's some things that you need to know before you pack those pies. here's more from dulles. >> reporter: we are heading into the busy travel season of the year. tsa officials say an additional 400,000 travelers will pack airports across the country, in addition to the foot traffic that they already see on a daily basis. so tips that you need to keep in mind if you're traveling, arrive to the airport two hours ahead of time, even if you're taking a flight domestically. >> one quart-size bag, one bag per person. we recommend that you not pack them in wrapping paper and that way it's easier for u much easier. >> reporter: also, remember to have your passport or license in your hand. every minute you can save the next passenger makes a big difference. reporting at dulles international airport, meagan fitzgerald, news4. the sounds of the season continue with our holiday choir showcase. >> pastor craig is here with me and to talk about how your crier membership reflects this. >> starting from >> can you tell me about the impact of music during the holiday season? >> sure. it always helps to tell the story of the birth of christ. and when they tell the story of christ, it goes to another level and with everyone we have involved, every generation is touched and we just enjoy what we're doing during the season. >> let's take it to another level here and listen to this choir. ♪ >> mow leg >> reporter: molette green, news4. >> now, tomorrow we'll be in month g montgomery county. >> that will be on news4 today. a christmas crime with an ending you've got to see. news4 pat collins will tell us how a thief almost ruined christmas. plus, a blast of cold air coming in fast just in time for christmas. storm team 4 is work every angle of your holiday forecast whether you're staying in town or hitting really? really? really? really? really? see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, els. now with the people first warranty. right now at 5:00, the christmas forecast is changing. >> the faces of the victims. a local family among those killed and injured in an awful bus crash in mexico. what we're learning about them and how it happened. >> no home for the apartment in this spectacular blaze and it is not the first time she survived a fire. she tells her story to news4. and a thief sets out to ruin one woman's christmas. the strangers that turned out to be her holiday heroes. >> and we're going to begin tonight with the forecast because of conditions that you can expect to be as you're traveling the next few days. it's important to know right now. >> pressure is on and we are all ears, doug kammerer. >> if you're traveling i-95 southbound, you'll run into rain. 81 south as well. moving out of virginia. not much going on right now. rain in the southern part of the state down around roanoke and you can see it down towards north carolina. notice the rain through the carolinas. even thunderstorm activity here. if you're getting ready t into shower activity. temperatures are not that bad. we're going to cool tonight and it's going to be a cool, chilly day tomorrow. a lot going on the next couple of days. the temperatures are a big deal, too. see you back here in ten minutes. >> well, we are following a developing story. it knocks the wind out of here. members from three generations of one local family killed while vacationing in mexico. the behar family is from lorton, virginia. anna and daniel behar were killed in a bus crash on tuesday.

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