>> no, no, no. no, no. >> it breaks the heat. >> that just means we're close to the end of summer. i don't like that. we're working for you. melissa mollet is checking on your commute with your first 4 traffic. >> first, though, chuck bell is here with a weather alert day today. what's going on, chuck? >> a weather front to our north and west is going to do its darnest to get through the next couple days but will take its own sweet time getting here. as a result, we'll be sort of in the prime area for strong to severes. thunderstorm even early morning thunderstorms there just across parts of southern pennsylvania. so pretty unusual to see thunderstormis time of the day in pennsylvania. so we'll let you know there's a lot of instability in the atmosphere to work with today and there's not much going on in the first part of the darks you get these temperatures which are in the 60s and low 70s now. we'll be back up near 90 degrees aintoday. that will be more than warm mough to generate strong to

severe thunderstor to late parts of afternoon. i'll show you future weather and help you get you ready for the weekend coming up. >> chuck, looking at the roads here now, outer look at aock road left lane getting by the work zone. rest of the belt way is looking good now, inner loop and outer loop, don't have any big delays. everything is rolling along pretty nicely. 66, 95, same situation. nothing in your way into or out of town. 66 erb we have the right lane getting by the work zone notng seoo much of a delay quite yet. aaron? >> melissa, thank u. the third street tunnel is open this morning after a gunman opened fire on another driver in the middle of traffic. >> ptrice are stillng to find the shooter in an apparent road rage incident. this happened on a busy stretch that runs right under h theeart of downtown washington just before the massachusetts avenue exit tuesday afternoon. a witness told us that ford suv

rear ended a smaller honda around 3:00 p.m. yesterday. you can see the crash caused serious damage to the onda. the car stopped and both drivers left their cars. >> exited their vehicles. there was an argument that occurred on scene, on the scene of the accident. and a gun was introduced into this argument. and our complaintant was actually shot. >> we're told the victim is inc itical condition. olice shut down the road for hours and there were several witnesses but no arrests so far. new this morning in the district, it appears police have cracked a series of sexual assault cases all more than a decade old. 41-year-old levi was chargedk this wee and charged with child sex abuse possibly dating back to 1999. he is also chard with breaking into three homes in the middle of night and sexually assaulting someone at knife point between 2003 and 2007 in northwest d.c. for the first time an s set toamerican woman

lead the fire department in prince georges county. current cirehief announced hist retiretuesday. then county executive introduced chief deputy tiffany green as the interim chief. >> the truth of the matter is, although she i a prince georgean and female, sheill be named interim chief because she is qualified. >> green has been with the department for 24 years. she hopes toe inspir other young women to join the force. and now to dec20ion , democrats running for their party's nomination took aim at president trump. >> it was the first of two nights of the democratic presidentialin debates michigan. the first group of ten candidates took the stage last night trying to stand out from the owd. the only topic they could agree on was president trump.d >> donaltrump disgraces the

office of president everyg sin day. >> little kids literally woke up this weekend, turned on t t and saw their president calling their city, the town of baltimore, nothing more than a home of rats. i can tel you as your president, that will stop. >> the candidates didn't hold back on topics like health care, immigration, gun control, climate change and her hot button issues but the key thing was making sure that president trump is not re-heected. >> teason we're going to defeat trump and beat him badly is that he is a fraud and a phony and wre going to expose him for what it is. >> we'll call his racism out for what it is and also talk about his consequences. it doesn't just offend our sensibilities to hear her send her back about a member of congress because she's a woman of color, because she's a muslim-american. >> it's ely in the election cycle, but for some of the candidates, these two nights could really be a make or break

situation for their campaigns. ten of the other democratic presidential candidatesng includ former vice president joe biden will take the stage tonight. it's now 4:05. w this morning, president trump wasted no time higt back against those who say he is a racist. >> the president told c-span the word racist is overused. >> such a disgrace. i can tell you i'm the least he ist person there is in world, as far as i'm concerned. and they use it almost when they run out of things to criticize you, he's a racist. he's a racist. no, some cases it's true. there are people who are racist. bad people. but with me, they have a hard time getting away with it. and they don't get away with >> meanwhile, a new nationwide pole from keen pea yak university shows 51%of respondents said they think the president is raci and 45% said no.pr

>> the esident didn't necessarily get a warm welcome ent meant to an ev celebrate democracy. the president was interrupted during his speech for the 400th anniversary of the first ti representa legislative assembly jamestown. dr. hibra held a signed reading, quote, deport hate. unite my family. he was escorted out but later tweeted no one suld support racism or bigotry. >> there is nothing more american than raising a voice to authority. >> some virginia lawmakers boycotted the president's speech. they held an event in richmond commemorating the 400th anniversary. it was held at the lumpkin slave jl a place notoriously known for holding slaves. northern virginia's congresswoman has joined the choreus calling for impeachment inquiry. i did not run for office with the purpose of heimpeaching t

president, but i did not take an oath to uphold -- i did take an oath to uphold the institution. she also says she believes president trump would be indicted forbstruction of justice if he were not a sitting president. there are now more than 100 house representatives calling for impeachment inquiry. bad news for metro riders that use the red line, fixes will take longer. metro says the project has hat untered several delays require design changes. the pipes that circulate cool water into the stations have been broken for years. different pipe parts are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. that project should be complete by mid august. work on the purple line is changing the landscape in montgomery and prince georges ounty. eventually the light rail track will connect the bethesda and new carolton stations. here is the big milestone the project med met. >> reporter: a d momentous for

a very large construction project in this region. signatures, messages go on a steel beam to mark the topping out ceremony for the main building of thepl p line, a final beam fit into place, the framework complete. >> i wrote my name and wrote ths initof my wife and two boys who are 7 and 5. they support us. they support our time and effort that goes here that we spend he e. without them, we couldn'to it. >> about to finish off this building. >> reporter: a lot of the workers thinking about a building. >> i hope it's more than just structures and letters and numbers, right? i hope it's more about people in the commity. >> reporter: now, this is a huge miestone for thisproject. make no mistake about thit, is is the nerve center of the purplline. this building here, two football fields wide. it will basically run everything along the project. in riverdale, adam tuss, news 4. en> happg today, cocoa fever continues at the city open. 15-year-old phenom coco gauff plays in the doubles tournament

today after losing a singles match yesterday. we caught a quick glimpse of her making it back to the player's llage after the loss. we spoke with fans who are excited to see her take the court again. >> tennis. i really like her. >> she's a rising star. >> it's true. >> it's nice to see that there's some new people coming up. absolutely. >> and se's only 15. and has a very long career ahead of her,at so one loss here at the open won't be that big of a de. for her if you are heading out to see a match at rock creek park, check out our story places to cool off in the a.c. go coco. we love it. 4:09. next on "news 4 today," strangers selfless gift helps a little girl go back to enjoying childhood. >> no,i was justing here. oh my word, she's running and being a kid. >> more on how makayla's world has changed after a life-saving

lung transplant. and bystanders looked on in horror as a child dangles from a balcony. the miraculous rescue caught on camera. we'll show you the heart stopping video. chuck,ow about yo weather? >> all right. we're under a storm team 4 weather alert for you today. there's an opportunity for some strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon into this evening. already have some thunder and lightning in the predawn hours across p

>> announcer: "news 4 today" starts now. look at that dramatic scene, the quick actions of a community in china likely saved a 3-year-old boy's life. these terrifying moments show a

toddler clinging on to the edge of a sixth floor balcony on monday. neighbors sung into action when they noticed that he was struggling to get back up. they formed a circle and held out a blanket to help break his fall. the boy is expected to recover. police say he was home alone at the time while his grandmother went out for groceries. >> amazing what people will do or can do when you have to step in and do something. >> thae god they were ther and noticed he was up there in the first place. a warning now about a scam. someone on the phone might say ey're a police officer, but one department in our area has a serious warning about who is calling you. >> news 4 is f working you this morning. she's in the news room with more on the warning out of northern virginia. >> it's so hard these days with so many people calling our phones. scammers areong as alexandria police officers. they're calling homes and asking for donations. there have even been reports of scammers asking for charitable donations and others telling people they need to pay money over the phone to stop an ar

st warrant. police, though, in alexandriag are warnhey don't call to sk for money ever and calls like those ones are nothing new. officers say there isn't much to stop them, gh. to avoid those calls, go ahead o and hang the caller right away and do not call them back. also, don't send your driver's license number to anyone claiming to be a law enforcement officer. you can report these suspicious calls, save that number, let your local police department know as well as the attorney general's office or the federal trade commission. aaron and aun, back over to you >> jummy, thank you. an 18-month congressional investigation into usa gymalstics reve that organization as well as the olympic committee and the fbi should have done more to protect young female athletes. now, after looking at all the evidence, some lawmakers believe there was coverup. dr. larry nassar was accused of molesting more than 150 young women. he was the national team doctor of usa gymnastics and physician at michigan state.

he is serving ti now for convictions in a handful of cases. >> also profiles in cowardess andoponcealment because pe looked the other way and they put medals and money ave morals. >> now lawmakers are introducing legislation designed to prevent future coverups. the bill makes sports organizations liable for failing to protect athletes. children who areborn to older parents tend to have better behavior. that's according to a new study conducted in thenetherlands. researchers studied nearly 33,000 children betwhe ages of 10 and 12. they found kids with older parents were less likely to have aggressive or poor behavior. however, a parent's age did not affect a child's risk for anxiety or depression. also in news 4 your health this morning, you may want to

hold off while moving while you're pregnant. researchers at the university of washington found mothers who moved during their first trimester of pregnancy were mor likel have a premature birth. experts say the physical and mental stress of moving may trigger premature birth. an organ donation is allowing a 5-year-old girl to breathe normally for the first time ever. ♪ momma cal d the doctor and the doctor said ♪ >> no more makaylas jumping on the bed ♪ >> makayl crosby has cystic fie bro sis. that disease affects how your lungs work. up until now she couldn't run a lap around the kitchen island. now after getting a new set of lungs, she's running and jumping like all the other kids her age but she's not out of the woods just yet. >> she could be fine the rest of her life or she could need three more. i think it's all depending on y her bod and how her body reacts

to them. >> makayla has been taking more than two dozench medications day to make sure her body accepts the new lungs. she and her momay it is worth it. >> pray that those lungs keep on working for makayla. the's a 34-year-old maryland fishing record that has fallen now. this.a look at that is a 72.8 pound mahi mahi caught off the coast of ocean city. it took about 25 minutes to reel hat fish in. the oldas record w 67 pounds that was set back in 1975. >> they have pictures to prove it. >> that fish could probably eat him. >> fish don't eat people.n' they do >> you test it. >> i'm not afraid of that. there are plenty of things in the ocean i'm terrified of. >> but not of mahi mahi. >> what about a tuna? >> 70 pounds, not going to eat more than a finger.

all right. >> i would like to keep all mine. i don't know about you. >> exactly, right. >> let's talk about the weather. storm team 4 weather alert for you. strong thunderstorms in the si afternoon poslity and just in time for the afternoon commute today. might be a raer busy radarto deal with. 75 in washington right now. upper 60s for most of the outlying suburbs. 67 now at dulles airport. 69 in ithersburg. 76 down the road in quantico. high teerature today right up around 90 degrees. so it will be hot and it will be humid. so, high for about t90t's about noon to 1:00 p.m. thereafter, the development of thunderstorms will cool things wn but we'll have to watch the storms very, very carefully today. little weather fron hanging that's in our west no real hurry to get through here at all. so we'll have storm chances for today. because it's so hot out ahead of that front, all that extra fuel

for thunderstorms means the severe weather risk is somewhat elevated for later on in the day. here is future weather then. a quiet start to the day and really pretty much all quiet through at least lunchtime. by soon after the lunch hour, though, storms beginning to develop out across parts of mountains of west virginia and along the blue ridge there. once we get towards 3:00 p.m., storms really getting close to the d.c. metro area and just in timr the evening commute. 4:00 p.m., thunderstorms likely to really be building up all over the region here and that 4 to 8:00 time frame could be very busy from a severe weather perspective. main threat for t would be damaging winds, but brief periods of heavy rain also could not be ruled out and frequent lightning. when you hear thunder roar, that is your sign to go indoors. get the kids out of the pool and your husbands or wives off the golf course. just make sure. also use your nbc washington app. we have an interactive rad feature there and track the storms right down to your zip code. extended forecast in a few, but

for now let's go to melissa. >> good morning, chuck. hyattsville brand new problem southbound bw parkway the ramp to 450 an accident there. not too much more information than that. we'll let you know if we learn anything else. boyds all lanes blocked at 117. this is an emergency wo in effect. 66 and 95 looking okay at this point. as we look he at the beltway, inner loop, outer loop of the beltway no major problems. aaron? now.:20 is your time next on "news 4 today," feelingh groggy t morning. your phone might be able to el hp. >> we're working for your health. find out how sleep experts say you can get the most out of apps designed to promote better sleep. and if you're home this afternoon, don't miss key yan that reaves.ar stick nd for news 4 at 4. we'll be right back.

>> announcer: you're watching "news 4 today." if you stru to get a good night sleep, you're not alone. 80% of adults have trouble sleeping at least one night a >> more and more people are turning to smart phones for relief but are they effective?

>> reporter: sleep apps are coming a booming business. an app called sleep as android has beenan downloaded more th 18 million times since 2010. although the science on this isn't settled. >> while there has been some research on the effectiveness of sleep apps, it's pr iminary best. >> reporter: noise apps can help by blocking out that barking dog or street traffic. >> hi, and welme to relax melody sleep meditations. >> reporter: other apps lead you through guided imagery, meditation and even hypnosis to calm your racing mind. ♪ >> reporte m but one of thest effective treatments is cognitive behavioral therapy or cbt where a trained therapist can help you fix bad sleeping habits. >> the american academy of sleep medicine says that cognitive behavioral therapy is the best first step in treating chronic

insomnia. that's because it can help you change the thoughts and behaviors at can lead to sleep problems. >> reporter: what about those sleep tracker apps that claim to chart your sleepns patterand how long you spend in deeper stages of sleep, even though ar some people sy them, doctors say they aren't reliable and shouldn't be used to s diagnoep disorders. >> at this point, they can't tell you when you should sleep. they can't measure deep sleep. they can't really adequately measure sleep disruption. >> i don't know. voices in my head, i don't think i need any more of those. >> anymore? >> right. i think they're meant to calm you down. i have too much o my brain to go to sleep. maybe a sleep app works for you. bep your phone face down so the light doesn'ther you. keep your phone in airplane mode so you won't get calls or texts that disrupt your sleeve. even the buzz will wake me up.

>> just the vibration. >> yeah. i keep it near my be 4:26 now. still ahead, our coverage of last night's presidential debate continues with a look at a fiery exchange over health care. the two ideas being debated and what it would mean for your coverage, plus, some good news for a local vet who feared he lost a family heirloom forever. how about our weather, chuck? we're under the gun for chance for some severe weather today. this highlighted area from washington to baltimore to o philadelphia tw york city, slight risk for severe weather today. we're in storm team 4 weatherto we're in storm team 4 weatherto alert help keep you ahead of

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>> announcer: news 4 begins with a storm team 4 weather alert. another hot, humid day and we' watching the potential for severe weather this afternoon. good morning, everyone i'm eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrist. coming up on 4:30 right now. we are in weather alert me gain this morning. melissa mollet is standing by with a look at our first 4 traffic. >> but let's begin with storm hteam 4 meteorologist cuck bell and what's going to be another warm day, chuck. >> yes, indeed. hot and hid gain. probably not as hot as

yesterday. made it up t 95 yesterday in washington, 98 at bwi marshall yesterday and 97 at dulles airport. unusual for reagan national to be the coolest of the three major airports. this morning, off to ateamy start yet again. most areas are in the low to mid 70s. a little bit warmer by the bay. annapolis at dulles airport just a bit cooler at 67 degrees. so, for your commute today, sun is 6:08. no rain in the region at this point in time and we should be rain free through about the lunch s and more than enough sunshine to get temperatures to around 90 degrees before things turn very unsettled andtormy around here for the afternoon commute. that could take it on the chin. damaging winds a possibility, er some brief pds of very, very heavy rain as well. so just know that the evening commute could be a little on the stormy side. rain chancesngre hag around for the rest of the week and into the weekend. ten-day forecast coming up. melissa? chuck. ight, thank yo on the