US strikes Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz | FOX 5 AT 6AM

Good morning, I'm Jacqueline Matter. It is 4 a.m. on this Tuesday, November 3rd. Thanks for starting your morning with us right here on Fox 5 and streaming on Fox Local. Here's what's happening today. It is the day candidates and voters have been waiting for. The midterm elections are here. Our team coverage breaks down the local races to watch and the shift in power that could shake up Congress. Plus, new strikes from the U.S. on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The latest in the war that could be a factor in today's elections. And another beautiful fall day on tap, but rain is set to come our way later this week. We're tracking the latest to help keep you prepared. Well, good morning. Thanks for joining us on this Tuesday. Glad to have you here and get our day started. Cesar, joining us this morning. Good to see you, Cesar. Good to see you as well, Jacqueline. Hopefully this morning wasn't too chilly out there for you because, you know what? We are going to start off chilly, but it gets warmer and just in time. It's Election Day, right? Perfect. There you go. For those that have not voted yet, myself included, right? It is going to be a nicer afternoon for us. We're expecting to see a lot more sunshine today. Temperatures also back into the 70s, so expect to see some of that layer weather, right, where you end up with a sweater in the morning, maybe a jacket because of the chillier feel, and then by the time we get to the afternoon, you got to peel that off before you start sweating out there. So, yeah, that's going to be one of... We're going to have one of those days here on tap. We're going to talk about exactly also when the next best chance of rain comes up here. In my seven-day forecast in just a couple of minutes. Over to you. All right, Cesar, we'll talk to you then. In the meantime, voters are gearing up to make their voices heard in today's midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in Congress. We have live team coverage for you this morning on the crucial races happening here in the DMV and across the country. Our Maureen Umeh bringing us up to speed on elections in D.C., including the race for a new mayor. But first, let's get to Melanie Olnwick, who's checking in on where things stand in the state of Maryland. Mel? Hey, good morning, guys. You know, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, which has been keeping tabs on this data nationwide, in Maryland already with early voting in person and by mail, 993,000 ballots have already been cast. So you can see how motivated people are to come out to the polls. Now, here in Maryland, the number of prominent races, all eight Maryland representatives in Congress are up for election. Voters will also We'll also be casting ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general. ...general comptroller and their state legislators. Many of the local races focus on the future of data centers, housing policy, affordability, taxes, school funding, and immigration enforcement. In the race here in Frederick County for executive incumbent Democrat Jessica Fitzwater is defending her earlier support of a data center expansion near Adamstown. Fitzwater later voted with the council to pause new data center applications. Her Republican challenger Jeff Holsinger claims she flip-flopped on the issue. And says that Frederick doesn't have the infrastructure resources to support that kind of growth. Immigration enforcement is the hot issue here in the contest for sheriff. Republican Chuck Jenkins is seeking a sixth term. He's a Trump ally and a strong proponent of local police cooperation with ICE. His opponent, Democrat Carl Bickel, calls Jenkins an extremist. And wants more documentation of ICE encounters in the county to help identify potential civil rights violations. Now, statewide voters are also weighing in on question number three. That is a referendum to change the Constitution. And it would pretty much open the door to allow partisan redistricting for congressional elections. That one also very controversial. They will be watching nationwide. Polls here open at 7 in the morning and they close at 8 p.m. We'll send it back to you. All right, Mel, thanks. We'll be checking back in with her throughout the day today. Meantime, voters in D.C. will head to the polls later this morning as well to choose the district's next mayor and delegate to Congress. Our Maureen Umeh live at a polling place in Northwest for a look at the race there and what voters need to know before they head out there. Maureen. That's right. So, yeah, it's going to be a very busy day to all the voting centers all across the district today. They open at seven. They'll stay open until eight o'clock. And here's one thing to know. You can vote at any of those voting centers if you're registered to vote in D.C. You don't have to go to one in your in your neighborhood or precinct, so to speak. And so that should make it easier. We are watching a couple of key races here in D.C., one of them being mayor. As you know, Janice Lewis George, that is the one to watch today. She's a Democrat, she's the heavy favorite after winning her party's primary with 54% percent of the vote. She is facing statehood Green Party candidate Robert Gross, independent Rhonda Hamilton and a slate of write-in candidates. Lewis George has made defending D.C.'s limited autonomy a central part of her campaign. She would succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser, who was completing her third term and did not run again. Now, voters will also choose the district's next delegates to Congress. Democratic candidate Robert White resigned from his at-large D.C. council seat Yesterday, after questions about a law. We'll be right back. Also be in effect this time around. It was brought in during the primaries. You're going to see that repeated this time around. Voters a little more acclimated to it. So that should make the process a little easier. And less of folks saying they didn't really quite understand what's going on here. Again, polls open at seven o'clock today. They'll be open until eight tonight. Early voting, as you know, ended on Sunday. So that's no longer a factor. But of course, we'll be watching all these races as they play out during the day. And of course, trying to catch up with the candidates as well as they vote themselves and bringing you those updates as we get them. But that's the very latest from here. Northwest. I'll send it back to you in the studio. Maureen, thank you. And we'll have election coverage for you all day long today. right here on Fox 5 on Fox 5 Plus and Fox Local Washington, DC as well. Our special coverage will start at seven o'clock tonight after the polls close and it will run until two o'clock in the morning tomorrow. Let's get to some breaking news now this morning out of Prince George's County. Police there investigating a deadly double shooting on 15th Avenue in Hyattsville. Police say one woman was located with a gunshot wound. She did die at the scene. A second victim, a teenage girl, was taken to the hospital in critical condition. We do have a crew headed to the scene shortly, and we'll keep you updated on new information as it comes into our newsroom. Turning now to a Fox 5 News alert. As millions of Americans prepare to cast their ballots in today's midterms, the president's war with Iran appears to be heating back up. Overnight, the U.S. conducting a series of defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are said to be limited and are not a return to full hostilities. However, the escalation is contradictory of an earlier promise by the president that the U.S. would would not strike Iran before the midterms. President Trump's war in Iran has helped drive Drive up gas prices and groceries, and it is expected to be a top concern for voters, voters at the ballot box. Meantime, the Supreme Court has rejected a last-ditch Trump administration push to set aside thousands of California mail-in ballots. The Justice Department wanted to separate ballots from about 20,000 voters that it flagged as suspected non-citizens. The justices declined to intervene, leaving lower court rulings in place that warned the move could disenfranchise illegal voters and disrupt the election. All right, let's get you outside, live look towards D.C. this morning as we get the day started here on this election day and weather looking great as far as getting out there. You know, sometimes election day comes with rain, snow, you never know, but we do not have to worry about any of that here in the D.C. region today. No, Jacqueline, luckily we do not. It is a very calm and tranquil start to the day. It is a little bit chilly, so if you are going out early, right, make sure to at least have the sweater. And once the sunrise does make its way up, that is going to help out at least. At least in terms of getting us a little bit warmer. But for the most part, most of us are still sitting very, I want to say, very coolly in the low 40s. D.C. at 50 degrees. A few 49s also on the board. But in general right now, not much in the way of cloud cover over top of us. Most of the rain action that we have close to the eastern seaboard right along the east coast here. It's mostly over towards parts of Pennsylvania, so we're not expecting to see any of that really. It's going to be a mostly sunny day as well as we continue to see more of that sunshine still hanging with us. And look at that. Temperatures jump dramatically as we head in towards the second half of the day, back into the upper 60s and even low 70s here as we head in towards those afternoon hours. We'll talk more weather here coming up in just a couple of minutes. Jacqueline. All right, Peter, thank you. Let's take a look at our roads here this morning. And there's a crash to tell you about in Brandywine this morning along Maryland 5 Branch Avenue southbound. It is closed due to a crash investigation there between Accokeek Road and US 301. You can see the police cars blocking off that area at this time, but it doesn't look like it's causing too much impacted traffic. Not many people out on those roads at this hour, but something to keep in mind if you are headed through that area in Brandywine as your morning commute gets underway. Let's get now to the deadly stabbing in Wheaton that we first brought to you as breaking news yesterday morning. A candlelight vigil was held for the unidentified victim who was stabbed to death on Elkin Street on Sunday. Police still searching for the suspect and have not released any details on them. Witnesses tell us that the victim and the suspect did know each other. They had gotten into an argument at the bar and then that argument continued outside and turned deadly. This morning, a friend of the victim is speaking out. It's shocking because I knew the person. I knew him. He's a good friend of mine. He also worked on my car at the auto repair shop where I did my work done. So I've known him for a few years. He's one of the nicest people you could ever meet. You know, he's down to earth, never caused problems for anybody, which is a good thing around here because there's quite a few people that do cause trouble, you know, but he wasn't one of those people. Montgomery County police are expected to release the name of that victim sometime later today Today also marks day 16 of the murder trial against Naresh Bhat, the Manassas Park man accused of killing his wife, Mamta Kafle, and dismembering her body. Yesterday, Mamta's brother took the stand in Prince William County, testifying about concerns for his sister's safety in her marriage. A forensic expert also took the stand, breaking down an analysis of blood found in the family's home. Again, after you received this photograph from Mamta, did Mamta say this to you? I am not safe. Mamta ji le tabla yo photo padhai sakhe pachari. Ma yaha surachit chai na, ma surachit chai na wana bano baathiyo? Baathiyo. Yes, that is. That was. The blood that's in this part of the carpet has to have come, in the context of the scene, has to come from above. It correlates with what was... The pattern that was seen with the blue star on the top surface. So no visible blood on the carpet but enhancement with looking at it with the luminol you can see this pattern that's directly above where you see the the stain that's now on the underside of the carpet. Bot currently faces several charges including first-degree murder. His wife's body has never been found. The trial picks back up at nine o'clock this morning. Candidates in the hotly contested Senate races of Michigan and Texas making their final pitch to voters will take you to their respective rallies. And undefeated no more. Why a local high school football team has been forced to forfeit four of their wins.