DMV Zone: October 22, 2026

Three o'clock. I'm Rena Morocco. We got a lot to talk about here on the DMV zone as we're working on all the stories here. Busy day as it usually is. And the breaking news off the top here from today's big story. Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas facing federal charges. The longtime Democratic lawmaker taken into custody this morning in connection with an alleged criminal enterprise involving marijuana distribution and money laundering. Prosecutors accusing Lucas and six co-defendants of racketeering. Lucas denying any wrongdoing. calling the case politically motivated in a statement. She says, quote, Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82 year old great grandmother. I grew up under Jim Crow. I've seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my life fighting back and I am not stopping now. I'm not new to this. I'm true to this. I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied and I will not back down. end quote. Virginia Public Radio reporter Michael Pope with more on this and we knew that there had been an investigation unfolding. We had seen federal agents at her offices in the past couple weeks here and this is the disposition at this hour. What more do we know Michael? Well this is the October surprise of the election and the person at the center of the October surprise is not even on the ballot. Louise Lucas has been in the state senate since the early 1990s and she is up for reelection next year, but the politics around this are just exploding. So yeah, Louise Lucas charged in federal court with racketeering, money laundering, bribery, and distribution of marijuana at a time when it was illegal to do so. So yeah, there's a lot of pushback here. Democrats don't like the timing of this. Governor Abigail Spanberger out with a statement today saying the timing undermines the longstanding policy in the Department of Justice to not do stuff like this close to an election. And then also Spanberger saying this erodes trust in the Department of Justice. So we'll see how all this plays out. But there's a lot of evidence here, including intercepted phone calls. It seems like the federal government was listening in on her phone calls, including with lawmakers members of the general assembly she's quoted in one of the discussions of the members of the general assembly about the these marijuana sales saying i did it when it was obviously illegal and another point she's talking about the 420 festival she said the whole police department protected us that's a quote from the from lucas to the lawmaker so a lot of evidence to go through we'll see where the the actual court uh the the actual charges go it's very difficult to prove corruption just ask former governor bob mcdonnell indicted by the obama department of justice and that case was thrown out by the supreme court yeah i think the timing like you said is something that uh democrats now are trying to figure out as they they look ahead at these midterm elections and her position especially powerful given the committee that she leads, a little bit of the back and forth that she had with the governor, especially on the budget issues at the beginning of the summer here. What is her play right now as it relates to a Republicans, but also her own party? Like, is she in vogue with them? Like, are they behind her? Are they supporting her right now? Yes. Well, we saw today's statements from Senate Majority Leader Scott Suravell saying everybody is innocent until proven guilty. And then the statement from the governor talking about the timing of this, saying it undermines trust in the Department of Justice. So, yeah, the Democrats are definitely standing by Luis Lucas, although there's a lot of stuff in this document. At one point, there is discussion of an unindicted co-conspirator who handed Luis Lucas $100,000 in cash as a bribe in the General Assembly building. And they point out in the document that the $100,000 was provided by the FBI to the unindicted co-conspirator to trap Luis Lucas in a bribery scheme. Wow. Okay. Obviously, to get the arrest warrant, there is need for probable cause. It seems as though, based on what you're saying, sufficient enough there to arrest her. But nonetheless, Luis Lucas fighting back, saying that it is all politically motivated and that she won't back down. So we'll see what else comes of this. Michael, is she still under in police custody or what do we know about her possibility to be free? She's been released. Yeah. But she was in custody today as as part of the legal process. She has been released And if you know anything about Luis Lucas she is going to fight this And it's going to be a very powerful Defense that she Is going to put on and that other Democrats Will put on Keep in mind this is one of the most Powerful people in Virginia Politics so Not only did she introduce the bill About creating The marketplaces for marijuana But she is the chairwoman Of the Senate Finance Committee Finance and Appropriations Committee. So she basically, if you need to do anything involving money, she is at the fulcrum of that and can say no to it. Just ask Glenn Youngkin when he wanted to put an arena in Alexandria. Luis Lucas said no to the deal and it undermined it. So that gives you an indication of how powerful this position is that she holds. Michael Pope with Virginia Public Radio. We so appreciate the explainer there. Thank you. Thank you. Topic number two here, early voting expanding across the DMV ahead of the November election and Maryland voters again casting their ballots this morning while Virginia is adding more early voting sites to make it easier for people to get to the polls. Maryland Matters reporter William Ford joining us now. Here we go. Early voting. I mean, we're less than two weeks away for the midterm elections and a lot of people look in, especially at that redistricting referendum. Yes, ma'am. And good afternoon. Question three is pretty much the big one in Maryland. And it's looking at, as you say, congressional redistricting that would amend the state constitution that would allow the legislature to. And by the way, this is a Democratic supermajority. So if voters do this, they would be able to redraw congressional district maps. And for those who may forget that Maryland, seven of the eight congressional seats are held by Democrats. There's only one member of the GOP, and that's Andy Harris. He's an eight-term GOP representative. Get that in Ryan. So he gets a lot of support out there along the eastern shore in the first congressional district. Yeah. The governor, however, is going hard because, as we all know, this would give his party absolute, really, control if they can get that seat there flipped here, at least congressionally speaking. What do we know about the push here? How much are Democrats putting money towards this? Because we're seeing, especially the Republicans across the country now, funnel a ton of money to try and get ahead on the back end here. Are Maryland Democrats getting that money as well, especially for this? Not sure about in terms of the amount of money spent, but it is, as you said, the phrase is going hard. Matter of fact, Governor Moore was at Silver Spring this morning, and he has a race of his own, but he's expected to win against former state delegate Dan Cox but the question three is this is this is it and the the main nugget is on some of the uh campaign signs stop trump vote yes on three that is how it's being pushed literally it's full stop yeah and if you want to know in terms of who's the bad behind it excuse me but you got congressman jamie raskin he was out there in silver spring this morning he had And Will Jawanda, the county executive. Now, the one key thing is, if voters do this, it wouldn't be until the 2027 legislative session. And it may not affect anything until 2028 for Congress. So there's still a little time, but it comes fast. Yeah, we'll see what comes of it and especially that push. I know there was polling on it. And even though most of these districts are Democratic, it's still a topic that most people are split on, regardless of politics. I mean, it's pretty divided on this. Well, there were some voters I got to chat with today. Now, here's a unique thing. The majority of them who I got to talk to are for it. And that's basically because they're looking at the Democratic leaders. Anything that says stop Donald Trump, Democrats are for it. Yeah. But there was one individual who didn't want to give back his name. But he's confused openly. Just I don't know what this means. Yeah. It reads like if you don't have a law degree or political science Ph.D., I'm lost. So that's why it comes into play. Yeah, and they have gone through legislature to make sure that everybody agrees on them, and yet still sometimes they get hung up in the courts because of that. So we'll see what happens here. And, of course, election midterms just less than two weeks away. William, always good to see you. Thank you for that. And, of course, check out his reporting with Maryland Matters. Let's move on to topic number three here. We're going to Virginia, where the murder trial of Naresh Bhatt is set to resume Monday. The Manassas Park man accused of killing and dismembering his wife, Mamta. The hearings yesterday featuring emotional witness testimony. But after the jury left, the judge had harsh words for the prosecution. Fox 5's Vernon Miles has been covering the case. All right, Vernon, what did the judge tell the prosecution here? Basically, Judge Kimberly Irving said, hurry it up. She's saying the prosecution is taking too long to present its case. There's a lot of witnesses. There's a lot of evidence to get through. And so far, they're saying the prosecution is hoping to take six of the seven weeks. The judge says that is not fair to the defense. Yeah, well, they said at the very beginning, close to 100 witnesses. Next week is going to be week four. And if you're going to take more than half, I think the judge is saying, can we get to this sooner? Why are we delaying this? What could that mean for prosecutors here? Does it mean that they've got to slim down the witnesses? Absolutely. And this is something Stephanie said this morning when we were talking about this case. She was saying she doesn't really think that they've gotten to really the meat of the argument here. There's a lot left to cover. One of the big ones is DNA evidence. They haven't really touched on that. So far, it's just been witnesses. So really, the prosecution needs to focus. They need to figure out how to get the point across and not get lost in a lot of these witness testimonies. Right, because we've been presented with, for example, blood on the carpet, the excessive amount of water usage. But nobody has been able to say, OK, well, whose blood does this belong to? And, yes, you could argue that they are laying the crumbs here for the jury. And yet still it seems as though the judge is like, we need to expedite this here. What's next here for at least the case in general? What is the defense saying? Yeah, well, like you're saying, that DNA evidence, that's going to be a big part of this. Yesterday we heard all about the saw. That was a kind of crucial part of the alleged dismemberment of Montebell. But there's no evidence yet connecting the saw directly to the murder. So they really need to hone in on that over the next few weeks. And, again, we'll hear from the defense. In this video, which is when the prosecution believes that Naresh Bhat was dumping of the body that they allege he dismembered with the saw that he then gave to this man, according to the government. And this man said that for a second he didn't know what he was going to do with the saw, but his friends convinced him to turn it over to police so that he would have a clear conscience. That's what he testified to. Well, I think one of the most fascinating moments in the trial yesterday was him saying, look, some of his friends and family were saying, don't get involved. They were saying, you know, stay out of this. But he was like, look, I couldn't have that on my conscience. I couldn't go forward with that. I had to turn over the evidence, even if it winds up getting him in trouble. All right, we'll see if and when the defense shows up. And there's always a possibility that Naresh Bhat takes the stand as well. Although, for now, we don't know exactly what he will do. Vernon, thank you for breaking it down for us. We appreciate it. Stay with us here on the DMV Zone. We will be right back. The Washington Wizards winning their season opener at home last night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Anthony Davis and Trey Young leading the way for the Wizards, both putting up double-doubles. Final score, 128-116. Up next, the Wizards play again in Capital One Arena tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors. Joining us now, sports analyst Colby Price with last night's game breakdown and what to expect tomorrow. Colby, off to a great start, and I think a lot of fans finally starting 1-0. It's been a long time, I think, since we've been able to say that. Yes, it's been a while, and you could just tell with the atmosphere at Capital One Arena last night. And Wizards fans were just, they were itching to have a team to root for, and I think this is going to be the one. So they had a really good performance last night. They did not have Alex Sarr, which is what everybody wanted to see. And, of course, he's day by day, and not sure if he's going to be available up tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors with that mild ankle sprain. But nonetheless, they had guys like Anthony Davis, obviously an NBA veteran, and then Trey Young, who's bringing in the youth to this team, and they showed up. Yeah, they did. I think it was actually just ruled that Alex's not going to be there again Friday. So we'll have to wait for his debut, but I think it's going to be a really good test for the Wizards on Friday against a really good Raptors team. Because they showed that in the past this team has just not been used to winning the last few years. They showed that in a really close game they were able to really pull away at the end, something they haven't been able to do the last few years. But it's going to be a good test on Friday. Well, the good thing is they've already played without Alex Sarr and they know they can do it. but it seems as though the Raptors may be a taller feat here than the Milwaukee Bucks. What's the difference here as the opponent? Well, the Raptors are definitely a team that a lot of people are looking at as a favorite. In the East, one of the top few teams, they got Kawhi back. They have Scottie Barnes. They're really good defensively. But the Wizards that just put up 128 without their number one overall pick, so they're looking to be a good offensive team. It'll be a really good test, and it'll really show, like, how trey young and anthony davis two veterans that have been there before if they can show up and help these young guys face off against a really good team and if the wizards are up there in the upper echelon of the league how does anthony davis look is he a guy who can uh stay uh as the starting five for 60 plus games as they look at to the postseason if they're winning well that's always the question with AD but i mean last night he looked dominant is the main word to use he's he looks like the best player to put on a Wizards uniform since John Wall, so he's going to be somebody that they can definitely rely on, it's just if they can rely on him for like you said 60 plus games and if they get to the playoffs if he'd be available then but i will say they have the depth this year to be able to maybe rest him some and let him get his feet under him a little bit so he doesn't get those injuries because they people coming off the bench like Bala Koulibaly and Trey Johnson that are able to step in. And then, like I said, like we know, AJ wasn't even there before. So the depth is just going to keep getting bigger. So they are the type of team that can withstand AD not being there, but him being there just pushes them from a good team to it looks like a great team. All right, well, let's see if we can make it 2-0. Colby Price, good to see you. Thank you for joining us. Thank you very much. All right, let's move on now as Airbnb is putting limits on what hosts can ask guests to do before checking out according to the new policy. hosts are generally not allowed to ask guests to complete tasks that require significant effort or time or would typically be performed by a cleaner the new policy goes into effect on November 20th we've got travel expert Troy Pienbrink to tell us all about these new rules and it seems like Airbnb is seeing that they're losing a lot of clients with all these fees and they're making changes here Troy, yeah you know for a company that's been in business for about 20 years they finally realized they're in the hospitality industry so uh i think these are these are good things for the consumer. I mean, you know, the fact is there'll be a lot more transparency. People will have a certain expectation of what's required of them before they check in. On the downside of this, there may be some increased cost here because those hosts are now going to pass on those cleaning fees. You know, those tasks that we were doing when we stayed there are now going to be done by somebody else and they may pass that cost on. So we may end up seeing some increased costs there. OK, so what do we make of how Airbnb is trying to keep up, really, because at this point, people will tell you it makes more sense. It's almost even less expensive to go to a hotel where your bed's getting made and they're cleaning the room for you versus what Airbnb used to be, which is you got to do everything, including put your sheets in the wash. Yeah, no, that's exactly right. I mean, I think, you know, it's funny. I mean, if I wanted to entertain, I used to go online just to watch these funny videos about these checklists that some of these people had. I mean, you have to get up three hours early just to get the chores done before you leave. But I think that they are moving in the right direction here. Also, this is kind of a broader change for Airbnb anyway. Over the last few years, they've gotten to where they are actually advertising more for larger properties, bigger stays, which I actually think is a nice market for them. I mean, it's different than the hotel rooms that you're saying actually have become more attractive lately. So now Airbnb is offering kind of the bigger extended stay market and kind of finding a different niche and i think that might be working for them so we'll have to see how it plays out yeah the the short stays right which is that you're talking about like weeks on end and even then they're saying like the contracts that's when you can make a contract separate to Airbnb but not for these like usual overnight stays where they're saying hey you can't ask people to do this they're not going to come no it's exactly right i mean i did not go on vacation to do work uh now i think people should realize there might still be some basic things you do you know don't leave your dirty dishes laying around those sort of things i think there's part of this is just being a good guest yes uh but we are getting rid of the full checklist okay all right well hopefully and that includes a 350 cleaning fee which is just outrageous these days troy so good to see you thank you absolutely thank you a new mutation on the flu virus raising concerns as flu season gets an early start across the u.s health experts say the changes could make it harder for some people to have immunity against the strain, especially younger people. Chief Medical Officer for HealthCheckRx, Dr. Steve Goldberg, joining us. And Dr. Goldberg, I think you're right. We are seeing this, and I don't know if people know it's the flu, but they're out for long periods of time, and they've got this debilitating illness. Sounds like it. Yes, it does sound like it. Our data shows that the flu season is here, and we say that because there's an elevated number of positive flu tests, and those numbers are rising. Overall, nationally, it's a low level, but it's highest in the West. And to what you mentioned, there's a certain marker on some of the most common virus types that one of the six cells that the body attacks it might not work as well against. That's only lab data, so we'll have to see. But right now, what's clear is flu vaccine works and the vaccine is set up to fight against the most common type of the flu we're seeing, which is the H1N1. So early data about some concern against one fighting cell, but overall, get the flu vaccine. Well, I remember when H1N1 came around many years ago that we saw it really proliferate and it was especially brutal. Now, maybe there is some immunity. But nonetheless, last year there was, is it B, is it A? And it seemed like the different mutation was really hitting people differently. How can we assure people that this vaccine is going to work? Marina, great questions. Based on where the flu was in the southern hemisphere, there are three key viruses that are in the main vaccine for this year. And the vaccine type that we're seeing is the H1N1 and the flu vaccine that we have right now fights against that. There's just concern about one subtype and that affects the body's response for only one cell. The other five cells are fired up and ready to go. So what I would say is the flu vaccine works. It is rare for someone to go to the ER to be hospitalized or die who's got a flu vaccine already in. So that's what the CDC recommends. That's what I'm recommending to my patients. All right. I hate to see the flu season earlier than it usually is, but here we are. We so appreciate it, Dr. Goldberg. Thank you for the chat. You bet, Marina. Stay with us here on the DMV Zone. We'll be right back after this. Yesterday, but nonetheless, the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in sight as we give you a live look right now from our Loudoun Station camera. Let's check in with our Caitlin Roth here because it seems as though, Caitlin, Someone's braving the ocean breeze at this hour. They really are. And, you know, it's beautiful at the beaches, too, Marina. But showing this because that nor'easter offshore has been causing some pretty high waves, a little bit of erosion. It looks fine from this angle at the moment. You see plenty of sand. But during earlier high tides, maybe the water was getting a little high. You know, this is not nearly as close or as impactful as the nor'easter we had several weeks ago that just battered Ocean City as well as all of our Delaware and Maryland beaches, but not so much today. Yes, one lone ranger out on the sand, another one on the boardwalk. Glad to see they're enjoying it. 69 degrees back home here in D.C. Another gorgeous day with sunshine, seasonable temperatures, and that northwesterly breeze is courtesy of the low offshore, the high just to our north and west. So we've kind of had that all week. In fact, the weather's been exactly the same all work week. Temperatures right now have made it to seasonable numbers in the upper 60s. Winds out of the north at about 10 to 15 miles an hour. And it looks nice as we head into this evening. Satellite and radar quiet here. But that nor'easter, which was actually named sub-tropical storm Josephine, still churns offshore. That's center of circulation pulling away from the east coast. but the outer bands kind of moving over Cape Cod and the islands. It is still a subtropical storm with winds sustained at 65 miles an hour, moving to the north and east and away from us at 12 miles an hour. Evening planner shows once the sun goes down, we get chilly pretty quickly, just like we have the past few nights. You want to grab that jacket as we fall into the 50s fairly fast, and then we fall into the 40s overnight tonight. And so the great thing about this consistency is you know how each day is going to go and you know how to dress for it. obviously it's more of a layered thing and you need more in the morning and at night but then in the afternoon with the sun shining and the wind not too gusty you know it feels really fantastic so let's queue up another one sun or friday high pressure reinforced from the north sunny cool perfect fall weather a little less breezy as that low pressure system gets farther away and high pressures more directly overhead high temperatures will be slightly cooler in the low to mid 60s so So tomorrow and Saturday, we're going to take those high temperatures down just a touch. 63 here in D.C., 64 Fairfax, 65 Dale City, and 62 in Upper Marlborough. So instead of being upper 60s to around 70, you can see a little bit of a difference. 62 Leonardtown, 64 in La Plata. And back out across the mountains, looking at great leaf peeping conditions. A little cooler, low 60s up and down I-81. By the way, fall foliage out along Skyline Drive, not a peak yet, some pretty color, but I think maybe next week they're really going to be seeing the best of it, and then probably our northwest suburbs by Halloween. D.C., it's usually in that first week of November, you know, several days into it that we really peak. For the weekend, continued fall fantasticness, 62 degrees on Saturday, 65 on Sunday. So, you know, I don't know which one could possibly be better. They're all kind of the same. Yes, it's still a touch cooler Saturday, Sunday, a few degrees warmer, but these are very subtle changes. So with overnight lows around 40 this weekend and with some 30s outside the Beltway, a good reminder to talk about the first freeze date, which typically here in D.C. is late October. And, I mean, we're getting there. So not going to see it this weekend, maybe the following. But even though it's been very cool and comfortable, we haven't gotten close to those freeze marks. I mean, north and west, I don't even think we've had a hard freeze, even though mid-October is usually when they see their first one. So it really depends. You know, for us, it gets well into November, and we've still got plenty of time. There's your seven-day forecast, and you can see the nice weather is going to keep going. So after the weekend, we could possibly have a repeat next week of this week. We do get a little bit more cloud cover in in the middle of the week, mild temperatures around 70. So far, no chance of rain, but could be possible as we get closer to that Halloween weekend. We'll keep an eye on it and let you know. I can't wait to see. But things are looking good, Caitlin. Yeah, look great. Keep it going. Thank you. Yes. Moving on now to unemployment claims remaining at historically low levels. Fewer people filing for unemployment last week. There were 194,000 new claims for benefits in the week ending October 17th, down 6,000 from the previous week. Claims were at the lowest level since mid-July, suggesting a resilient labor market. We've got a president for Bank Alliance, Lloyd Bettinger, here, and we were talking about a little bit of the metrics on Walmart as to people buying that stock and how it's in the past predicted recessions. And yet there are parts of this economy that still seem strong. I think that's right. And, you know, we've talked over the past months about the labor market and the signs and the signals that you can read from it. But as we've mentioned before, right now, it's still a pretty decent labor market. It's holding up. You know, it really feels like a lot of companies want to hold on to the employees that they currently have that are trained. they might be a little slower to fire, which is why we aren't quite seeing some of the job growth, you know, that we saw in past years, although, you know, that's been reasonably strong as well. So and I think it's hard to discuss the job market without then people saying, well, what does that mean for interest rates? How does that impact the Federal Reserve and give them flexibility? But, you know, and sometimes we talk about these one week claims, you really want to look at this four week average. But even that, you know, I think is still under two hundred thousand right now. So that's good to see. What else should we be looking at? As we know, towards the end of the month here, the Fed will get together again. Some people suggesting that potentially rates could continue to go up. Is that something that's a possibility? And what does that mean as we head into the holiday season where we're expecting shoppers to spend money? It's a great question. I do think it is a possibility that we would see at least one more interest rate increase, you know, for the rest of this year, because, you know, a few weeks ago, right, we saw some inflation figures and it tells us what we all know from, you know, either buying gas or going to the grocery store or just, you know, buying things for our houses or families, prices still feel high and in some cases are rising. And, you know, I think that when the Federal Reserve looks at this, they don't want inflation to be where it is. You know, they don't want to just start with a 3% as opposed to, you know, 2%. And if we see interest rates increase, that can impact us going into the holiday seasons because one of the things that can be impacted more quickly is the interest rate we might pay on our outstanding credit card balances. So, you know, we talk about consumer confidence, but this is a season when often people do more purchasing. And if you're putting that on a credit card and, you know, relying on sort of the, you know, the interest rate to pay it off slowly, it could start to get a little bit more expensive. Yeah. I mean, you know, you look at these things and all of that affects it. It seems as though you talk to people who are in the real estate market that has stalled earlier than usual, which is more so approaching Thanksgiving. And here we are in October and Thanksgiving, given the rates, right? Mortgage rates also not directly tied to the increase that the Fed makes, but nonetheless, they also, it's a domino effect. It really is. And I mean, as you mentioned, mortgage rates are quite high. And all of this really, and we've talked about this before, it really leads into our expectations as consumers. You know, what do we expect in terms of salary adjustments? You know, what do we expect? Like how secure do we feel? So how much are we willing to spend right now? Are we going to have a huge holiday season? Or do we feel like right now, the safer and more prudent thing to do is just hold back a little bit. And all of those decisions that we all make as households, they have a really big impact on the economy. And so it's great to see good data. But also at the same time, I think everyone still feels a lot of uncertainty right now. Yeah, it's almost like the data doesn't comport with the sentiment. And I know we've been talking about this for what seems like almost two years. But here we continue and still the data showing that we are strong to some degree. Exactly. You know, it's like I see someone at the beach, and I think I should be out there joining them on this beautiful day, but I know for me, it's probably not quite beach weather yet. No. Well, Lori, thank you for the talk. We appreciate it. Thanks. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum showing off its newest addition, the retired F-117 Nighthawk now on display, just opening to the public. Fox 5's Jennifer Delgado joining us live from Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly with a preview. Such a cool center, and now this new addition, Jen, another reason to get back out there. Yeah, absolutely. You know, the best part it's free to come out here. They're open Monday through Friday. Well, check it out behind me. This is the F-117. That's the Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft. It's right here. And let me tell you, when I first came in here, I was just floored by the size of it, the color of it, and the designs, the angular stealthiness out of this aircraft. Now, this actually flew for the first time in 1981. When it came out, it was top-notch. It was state-of-the-art. It was known for its precision strike bombing techniques. Now, what we know is that angular design and that black design really made this stand out from other aircrafts before his. Now, what we know is this has actually been here since October the 6th. It actually came into the Dulles Airport, and it took a little while to reassemble it but we did talk to the museum curator who had this to say about this legendary stealth bomber let's listen pilot flying this aircraft has to deal with a lot of stuff you know targeting its weapon systems flying the airplane and they don't have a lot of sensors because that might give away its position so flying with less communications and less sensors than normal is a very challenging thing that's why the pilots that flew this were very skilled we worked with Lockheed who originally designed and built these aircraft because parts of this aircraft were still classified so working with them we could take off the classified parts put back on parts that look identical but that are safe to show and then getting it here took putting it on a giant cargo airplane and we partnered with the Air Force to do that and we're really grateful to work with those folks yeah this this Nighthawk is the first operational stealth aircraft which means it's very hard to detect with radar and the shape of this airplane the materials it's made out of make it really hard for radar to see which makes it much less likely to be shot down when it's over enemy territory. All right well you heard from Mike there and he said this aircraft was known as the overachiever. It actually went on four different missions and it also had the least amount of maintenance. Now as I said it took them a couple weeks before they got it back together. The engineers from Lockheed Martin as well as the museum engineers they came here and they put it back together and they attached the wings because it's certainly a big aircraft to try to just roll right in here and a lot of safety and a lot of little secrets still being guarded with this. Now, joining me right now, we have Jim. Now, Jim, you're with the National Museum of World War Aviation all the way in Colorado. You came out here. What do you think about seeing this in person? It's amazing. I mean, seeing this aircraft in person for the first time up close, it's amazing how small it is, really, in terms of a lot of the aircraft here. My father was a World War II pilot he flew B-24s much larger aircraft than this but yeah this is a great museum and just happy to be here it's pretty cool to see something like this and you know when i came out here i was amazed how large it was so it goes to show perception is totally different but you know this really was kind of the benchmark for the other stealth bombers and too yes yes now we have The B-1, the B-2, the B-21 is coming out, Raider. So, yeah, this technology is taking us a long ways. It sure has. Thank you so much for joining us. And, again, now, Maureen, I want to correct myself. It is open every day of the week. It closes at 530. It's free. The only thing, it's closed on Christmas. So if you have the chance to come out here and check it out, I highly recommend it because the Nighthawk F-117 is impressive to see in person. And you can see some of the other parts here. The smaller part right here, the compartment, that is where the pilots would actually store their goods and all the things they were traveling with. And then you go over here, and that is the engine. Now, I asked them, now, could this actually break the sound wave? They said it wasn't recommended because sometimes things would, you know, shift apart a bit. But it was also very interesting how much weather played a part in the precision of the bombs that were dropped from here because it was very hard with the radars as well. So a lot of history there. We're going to talk more about that coming up in the 4 o'clock hour. Such a cool place and a great new addition. Jen, thank you for taking us there. We'll be right back here with a little spooky action on the other side of the break. In the Halloween spirit tonight during Like It or Not at 7 o'clock, we're having a spooky evening for a special Halloween edition live from Markov's Haunted Forest. Live out there with a preview, our Chad. Okay, I like the orange. I see where we're headed, Chad. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Marina, I am dressed appropriately because tonight, Fox 5 is going to be live out here at Markov's Haunted Forest. This is the place that everyone needs to be if they want to get into the Halloween spirit. And we're going to bring you all of this coming up a little bit later on tonight. But first, we want to speak with the man, the myth, the legend, the man who made all this happen, my man Nick Markov, owner of Markov's Haunted Forest. Nick, a lot of people spend their entire lives attempting not to be afraid. You've built an entire industry off of it. Talk to me about the story behind getting this started. Behind getting this started. Well, man, that's a good question. We started this 34 years ago in a school bus, driving around neighborhoods, trying to scare kids and lining up. The kids loved it. Nick, that sounds like you could go to jail for that. We almost did. But we landed on property, and people actually pay us to get scared. Like you said, they gather from all around. They come here. They bring their families. We like to say we get people close together. We unite families. The common fear of just clinging on to each other and trying to make it through alive. Now, I had an opportunity to come out here for the show itself last year, and this truly is something that's special. The families love it. The kids love it especially. What have you found has been the secret to your success with everything that you've built? Well, just having a very talented team. I mean, that are very passionate about what they do. We try to create magic out there. I mean, obviously, we're trying to scare people, but also, you know, we build. We just have a great time doing it, you know, and I think our love for it shows through with the things that we build, and people love coming out. You talk about this team that you have here. You talk about all of the different elements. I know that we have an overhead shot that is showing us what it is that we have here as well. Talk to me about all of the different things that families are going to experience when they come out here tomorrow. So we have two main attractions. We have the town, which is like a western-based theme, abandoned town, where they take a wagon way out to the other side of the property. They kind of get lost through this corn, and they end up in this abandoned western town. So that's one attraction. We also have our trail, which has been kind of the staple, the Markoff's Haunted Forest, the forest. And that's just great. It takes you in the woods. It's pretty dark out there for a reason. We only let them see what they want you to see, and then we work on breaking people down. I got to tell everybody out there, if you have not been to Markoff's, listen, it is the middle of the day. I just parked out here and I had to get out of my car and walk a little ways. I was a little bit scared. The sun is at full tilt right now. So for everyone who is coming out here potentially for the first time, what added element does it add when you are out here in the middle of the forest like we are? We are away from everything. People have to drive far to get here. They have to want to be here. And then when they're out here, they realize, wow, we are out in the middle of nowhere. So I think before they even come to the woods, they're already scared. Yes. The lights have all disappeared, and they're way out in the middle of nowhere. So they're at our mercy. Nick, this is truly special. Thank you for welcoming Fox 5 once again. We appreciate you. Thanks for coming out. All right. And again, coming up later on tonight, we, of course, are going to be doing a Like It or Not live right here. But next hour, we'll be speaking with more individuals live from Markoff's Haunted Forest. Marina? Oh, man, they're coming for you. I see that orange, Chad. They know where to find you. It's going to be a scary one. Thank you, Chad. All right, and like Chad said, like it or not, tonight live. That'll be at 7 o'clock, so catch us there. But we have more spooky things because, of course, it's Bundtember, celebrating all things seasonal flavors through the next year, featuring a lineup of limited-time fall flavors, holiday decorations, and everything else. We've got Nothing Bundt Cakes. Veralyn Gibbs-Watson with us here, and she's got locations in Bethesda, in Rockville, up in Montgomery County. Yes, Gaithersburg, Germantown, yes. But there's also a Nothing Bundt Cakes, I'm sure, super close to you. So you're like stealing the best parts of my lines. You know all about Bundtember. Bundtember is the cutest, coziest time of the year. It's all about celebrating, appreciating. If you are a crafty girl, a host with the most, a hostess with the mostest, this is your season. It runs October, November, December, and we are talking about gifting, delicious delights. I even brought you, like, a special sneak preview of waking up. Go crazy for this. And then, of course, we got our seasonal favorite, the OG, as you like to call it, pumpkin spice. She's back in all her glory. Check her out on this sweet and spooky decoration. This is fun, whether you celebrate Halloween or it's just for a fall festival. This is an amazing flavor, an amazing cake that you can get this decoration on any of the cakes that we bake. I mean, pumpkin spice is good for Christmas, too. It is good for Christmas, too. But you know what, though? We're only baking it through November 29th, so we have to hurry up and get it now. You're going to switch it up. We're going to switch it up. You know we like to switch it up. That's what we do. I know you do. Tell me about the dirt cake because it's so fun. I saw that there's a little chocolate oozing from the center. Oh, my goodness. Okay, so first of all, you've got a delicious, decadent chocolate cake. It's got Oreo crumbles inside, and then you've got the chocolate pudding oozing from the inside, and then the gummy worms on the top. it is so fun and decadent even if you're not a little boy if you're a little girl if you're a big kid, a signature core flavor that we always have which is our regular Oreo cookies and cream so this is a nice compliment I like to pair them up, you know what I'm saying, a little chocolate it is one of those things where like towards the end of the year you start giving for teachers gifts, oh my goodness, you're having like hosting things or maybe you're trick-or-treating and you're hosting people, this is perfect, yes a fun thing that i love to do, our Bundtinis, they're sold by the dozen, but I love to use them as place cards, right? So you can have a little one at each person's place setting, right? Our Bundtlet Towers make great gifts for appreciation, for favors, for anything that you're hosting or doing. And one of the things that's really, really fun is our Decorated Cakes make perfect centerpieces for tablescapes. They're beautiful, especially looking like this for Halloween. Veralyn, thank you so much for showing us what you got at Nothing. Of course. Bundt cakes, go get them and save me one, okay? Of course. We'll be right back. producer Chris, on, do you like it or not, 7:30 tonight in the Zoom room and feeling a little left out, everyone's going out to Marcos but i'll hold things down in here, well i mean it would be weird with you just a laptop in the Zoom room just in the middle of all of it, don't you think? I agree i mean you've got a beautiful but at the same time you know you guys are gonna have a blast out there, you're gonna toss it back to me and i'll be like, well anyway, 7:30 in the Zoom room one of the stories that you're fancy, everyone knows that right, you're a fancy person, i don't know if i would qualify but sure go ahead you like fancy food you like going out to a nice meal yeah but i like a mcdonald's a nice chef's table experience oh i love a chef's table well good news because mcdonald's has a chef's table experience what does that look like am i frying my own question i'm gonna look into that do i get the salt i've always wanted to do the shaker i want to see them do like the whole thing directly in front of me yeah exactly yeah i remember when i was a kid and the principal would go to mcdonald's to be a fundraiser and they'd have to serve you that was like the highlight of my week that's i love that idea yeah you actually know where i was going with that i had no idea already but i'm uh you read my mind so she's a little bit of paid maternity leave i listened to you guys talk about that at the two o'clock today um don't get me heated again like a day maybe you can have a day to go like actually do the adoption need to start like offering personal time off pto so the people in this case can use that as opposed to like it being a vacation or a sick day i love the idea and i don't remember exactly what the entire plan was but it was almost like you got one day off a month and that was an administrative day if you need to get a haircut you need to go to a doctor's appointment it does not count against your like using a vacation day to go to a doctor's appointment is like the most it's like the worst feeling in the world so crushing the idea of like an administrative if women can't get paid maternity leave for delivering a child and having to go through everything that that involves i don't know how you're asking for eight paid weeks ma'am that's crazy but anyways get in the zoom room yeah she walked the victoria's all right guys all right we gotta go get we gotta get through our shows get ready for a line tonight over at markov spooky spooky yeah a lot going on all right the news