ualifying internet. switch today. begin. tsa expecting to screen millions of travelers today. now at five, airlines are crossing the fingers, hoping storm systems don't impact them. what you can do to make sure that your trip goes as smoothly as possible. >> changes at the toy aisle. the new law forcing businesses to shake up their look in stores following in colorado's footsteps. >> the effort here in california to remove former president trump from the primary election ballot. >> ski resorts in the sierra hoping to get more help from

mother nature this weekend. hoping for that snow on christmas morning. >> good morning. it is thursday, december 21st. >> i'm going to start the forecast with drew. >> yeah, welcome to the shortest day of the year. winter officially arrived later today, so from here on out we'll gain some daylight hours. and it's not raining. >> and it's not that. >> what a lovely picture. we're doing a lot better this morning compared to yesterday. live doppler seven. it's a lot quieter. we're starting to drying out process. there's a few lingering sprinkles and part of lake county and sonoma county, but for the most part, this is going to die out over the next hour. and we are just dealing with mostly cloudy skies this morning and good visibility . temperatures right now we're in the upper 40s to the lower 50s, 54 right now in the city are at 49 in cloverdale, the same in palo alto. danville. good morning. you're waking up to 50 degrees. so here's how the day shapes up. we will see dry skies. today will start out with more clouds than sunshine this morning. but we'll find those clouds breaking down throughout the afternoon for brighter conditions and temperatures

today. going into the 60s. so we're finally into a dry pattern starting today. and that will continue as we head into the weekend. we'll show you that coming up in about eight minutes. let's check in with sue. is your traffic zone this morning. >> good morning. and we're hoping for quieter traffic conditions this morning. so take a look at 8-80, the east shore freeway. this is the stretch between golden gate fields all the way into emeryville towards the macarthur maze. lots of gaps between those headlights. so it is the busiest stretch of highway. at least one of them here in the entire bay area. so that may be indicative of what? oh, there we go. well, i'm sorry we had the thought we had the san mateo bridge, but it was moving nicely and no delays there. so we'll take a look at the altamont pass, where we do have a fog advisory. speeds are slowing past five 8-80 and up the pass, and then things slow. booth out and pick up towards livermore. >> thanks to happening now, the holiday travel rush is on and it could reach record levels, especially when we're talking about air travel. triple a says

115 million of us will be flying or driving somewhere. today is supposed to be one of the busiest days to take off. abc seven news reporter lena howland is live at sfo. hi, lena. hey reggie. >> good morning to you. triple a says they are expecting airports to be the busiest they have ever been over the christmas and new year's period this year. and so far this morning here at sfo. that's something we are already starting to see with a very steady stream of passengers being dropped off bright and early at 5 a.m. this morning. now triple a is projecting 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season. that surpasses pre-pandemic levels of 7.3 million passengers back in 2019, transportation secretary pete buttigieg said earlier this week that this year has also seen the lowest cancellation rate in the last five years. >> need to take care of your passengers, and if you don't, there will be consequences. we will hold you accountable. >> there's a lot of people going in many different directions.

just got to bring your patience. >> as for those long securing lines, travelers will run into over the next few days, the tsa says the most common thing that slows the traveler down at a tsa checkpoint is having a prohibited item in a carry on bag. that's why they're urging all travelers to know before you go by making sure everything packed inside is permitted to go on a flight. still, the majority of folks nationwide will be driving to their holiday destinations. saturday, december 23rd and thursday, december 28th will be the most congested days on the road. if you're heading to southern california, plan some extra time as well. a big storm is hitting there right now and there has already been some flooding reported. now so far this morning here at sfo. according to flight aware, they are already experiencing a 35 delays and four cancellations as of just a few moments ago. that number has been growing all morning, so we're going to keep

a close eye on those numbers for you. live at sfo. lena howland, abc seven news. >> thank you. lena. health experts are worried about what people might be picking up at their destination. covid and flu cases are climbing. the concern low vaccination rates as a new covid variant is on the rise. >> i really do think it's a mind shift that happened during the pandemic that people were like, look, they took stock of their lives and they said, what do i want to do if i survive this pandemic? i want to travel and they're going to travel come hell or high water. >> experts say it's not too late to get the flu or covid shot, since it doesn't take very long for them to start working. >> new data shows just how low the vaccination rates are here in the bay area, only about 20% of people in alameda, san francisco and santa clara counties are up to date on covid shots, according to the state department of public health. it's lower among some communities, just 10% of black and latino people in santa clara county have gotten the latest vaccines, experts say. one reason could be that the covid shot is harder to access now, particularly for underinsured or

uninsured people. the cdc does have something that's called the bridge access program, which helps people get the shot for free. santa clara county is working to make sure pharmacies are able to take advantage of it. >> doing some secret shopper action. i'm here at the health department where we're calling pharmacies that receive vaccine through the bridge access program and making sure that it's easy for clients to call, get the vaccine, and that they're not facing hurdles. >> the latest covid variant is called gin one. it makes up about 20% of strains here in the u.s. >> a new effort could make california the second state to remove donald trump from the 2024 primary ballot. lieutenant governor eleni kounalakis says she sent a letter to california secretary of state urging her to explore legal options. the colorado supreme court disqualified trump from appearing on their state's ballot. under the constitution, so-called insurrection clause, this case could end up at the us supreme court if the colorado supreme court decision is upheld

. >> and then i think california will move forward. there is another lawsuit pending. in addition to the letter that you talked about, and that other states will move forward as well and say that the former president is not eligible. >> while trump is appealing colorado's ruling, fellow republican candidates, including nikki haley and chris christie, have come to his defense, saying these issues should not be decided in court. a federal judge has temporarily blocked a state law that would prevent people from carrying guns in most public places in california, the judge ruled. the law deprives people of their ability to defend themselves and violates the second amendment. the state law was supposed to take effect january first. governor newsom released a statement last night saying his administration plans to, quote, keep fighting to defend our laws . >> a bold new law coming into effect in california at the start of the new year. it will require gender neutral toy sections at large retail stores in the state. abc seven news reporter jason explains the changes. we will see most toy

stores have the pink girls section and the blue boys section. >> now a new california law going into effect at the start of the year will require large retail stores with 500 or more employees statewide side to have a gender neutral section for toys. we're not affected by the law, but i say yay! >> it's not called woke, it's called american freedom. >> reporter helen dean is the longtime owner of toy safari toy store in alameda. she is cheering on the move. much of her store already has a mix of toys for boys and girls side by side in every aisle, even the lego friends collection, specifically marketed for girls and not fully compatible with other legos, she says. many years ago, barbie toys like this were geared towards all kids. now the packaging is straight pink. >> if you look at the packaging, you can see an evolution in going from kids playing with toys to hey, we're going to sell

this to a little girl and this is what she's going to want, because we know the way we are feeding their minds and the materials we're choosing to use, it is narrowing their ideas and the ability to really negotiate the world for them. >> but this new law does not take away a boys or girls section. it only adds the gender neutral section. putting similar products that had been marketed for girls or boys side by side in an aisle, along with toys that could appeal to everyone. here's something that you might find in a gender neutral section a clue doll made in france could be for a girl or a boy, but those with the california family council say enough is enough. they believe sacramento needs to start focusing more on things that matter and less on toys. >> it's a little crazy that sacramento seems so intent on breaking down the distinctions and differences between men and

women, between boys and girls. it's not enough that we are having gender neutral bathrooms. we're even trying to extend that to the toy section. >> if the law is violate and a store could first be handed a $250 fine, then a $500 fine for a second offense, jr stone, abc seven news. >> if you have plans to ski over the holidays, resorts in the lake tahoe area say they are ready for you. despite not having much snow so far this season. at sierra three of the resort's 14 lifts are open right now. that could change, though, if more snow comes in the next few days at heavenly. about half the lifts are up and running. >> last year we had about four feet of snow, so everything was open the whole mountain. um right now it's, you know, we've had 17in the whole season. >> the ski resort hopes it will cool down enough tomorrow and saturday night to keep up snow making operations ahead of the

christmas rush. what do you think? >> yeah, unfortunately. kumasi, it's just a rain. snow mix this morning, and it's really not going to accumulate to anything. and as we head into the weekend, we have dry conditions around tahoe. here's live doppler seven along with satellite just a few light showers, mainly in the form of liquid rain falling. because snow levels are so high. our storm system that just soaked us yesterday is now southern california was problem and they are getting hit hard. this morning with heavy rain and that is one of the areas. if you are traveling across the country that may see some delays. a lot of rain around l.a. today at 60 degrees. the pacific northwest cooler, but doing just fine as we head into the middle part of the country. a storm system stretching from oklahoma down through texas will affect oklahoma city, dallas, and san antonio with some rain showers along the east coast. it is looking just fine. really quiet conditions cool in the northeast with lots of sunshine. 42 the high in new york. back here at home, we are finally drying out. take a look at the 24 hour

forecast for the coast. we are dry today. temperatures actually getting into the low 60s along our coastline. we'll have a bit of fog developing late tonight around the bay. shoreline is very pleasant. we have a mix of sun and clouds throughout the afternoon. temperatures in the low and mid 60s for daytime highs and then inland. today we'll find some chilly numbers. first thing, but we will get into the low 60s under a blend of sun and clouds for the next three days. we enter a dry pattern. winter begins officially later on this evening . tomorrow it's morning fog to sun. saturday we start out the weekend with some chilly numbers, but we do expect a lot of sunshine on saturday. we'll show you that christmas day forecast for you coming up in about nine minutes. >> does that mean we get the new santa graphic? we do. we will do it. >> you'll see it. oh, this is and rudolph whoever it is. >> yeah. it's not rudolph the reindeer for him though. prancer yeah. >> vixen. >> next. dixon vixen. yeah. another air blow for people hoping to get fresh northern california crab for the holidays. coming up. how much longer? crab season will be delayed? >> and a pizza delivery driver

shot and killed outside of his home in the east bay. this morning. police are still looking for who did this. >> the ongoing controversy over driverless cars here in the bay area. what a new study is suggesting about the dangers is a live look outside at 512.

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just before five last night on rutherford lane, right across the street from an elementary school. police say the victim was inside his car on a break from making deliveries. they say another vehicle pulled up next to him. the passenger got out and shot the man multiple times before taking off. the victim's mother called 911. investigators say she was inside the home as her son was parked out front. >> she originally did not see the incident occur. she heard the shot and came out and saw her son had a gunshot wound

>> first responders say they tried to save the delivery driver, but he died from his injuries just moments after they arrived. oakley's police chief hopes neighbors will check their surveillance footage. >> this neighborhood is a relatively quiet neighborhood. it adjoins uh- vintage parkway school, so we take safety very seriously in this neighborhood. >> police haven't said which pizza company the victim was working for, but a nearby domino's was closed and had a sign on the door saying all orders for the evening were canceled and refunded. we reached out to get a comment from them, but we have not heard back. 7.1 million driverless driverless, miles driven and just three minor injuries. new data from waymo suggests their cars are far safer than cars with humans behind the controls. abc seven news reporter tara campbell breaks down the new study and the perceptions challenging the company. so this is our ride right here. >> and she actually just pulled in down there.

>> abc seven news executive producer brandon bailey is talking about waymo robo taxis. bailey's been leading the way on the station's coverage of both waymo and cruise autonomous cabs. >> we've been covering it since, um, since april of this year. and just watched the trajectory of both of these companies, cruise and waymo wednesday, waymo releasing a new study showing its fully driverless taxis have a 90% lower crash rate than human drivers in san francisco. >> now is developed what we think is a accurate comparison of humans driving in the same conditions. >> trent victor is the director of safety research at waymo and says this is the first of its kind study covering a little over 7 million miles in three cities, including more than a million and a half miles in san francisco. comparing driverless cabs with human drivers. >> when we compare those two with each other, we see that we're involved in far fewer crashes. we're viewed involved

in far fewer injuries and police reports. >> you know, 7 million miles sounds like a lot, but it's really a small sample size. so when you start to think about how that translates over hundreds of millions of miles of driving uh- again, i think this is early innings, but but encouraging waymo submitted this study to scientific journals to be peer reviewed, a process that's likely to take several months. in the meantime, there have been some outside academics who have already looked at the paper, examined it. they'd say that there's some some really interesting numbers that that sound really upbeat notes about the safety of autonomous driving technology. >> the study comes on the heels of this crash in san francisco, involving a cruise vehicle, which prompted the dmv to pull their license to operate in california, stalling the av industry's momentum. i think especially after what happened to cruise the battle that waymo and all these robot taxi companies are facing is a battle over pr, right? >> public perception. are these vehicles safe? are they safe and

are they reliable? >> we've seen countless incidents of robo taxis stalled, blocking traffic and even emergency vehicles. all right. >> so now it says waiting for intersection to clear. >> brandon experiencing a hiccup himself. if the waymo refusing to turn left at this intersection due to rider support. waymo says they're working on ways to measure these types of incidents and that this latest study isn't about any of the inconveniences. >> today, we're talking about crash involvement and the hard, cold science of safety impact assessment is very well understood. >> tara campbell abc seven news. for more on what it's like inside a driverless car. >> abc seven news reporter liam melendez put both crews and waymo to the test. of course, you can't get in a cruise driverless car right now, but you can check out the adventures she had on our website, abc seven news.com. >> if you were hoping to have fresh crab from northern california on the table for christmas or for new year's, you are out of luck. fish and wildlife officials have just

delayed commercial crab season for the fourth time this year. the goal is to protect, migrate whales from being tangled and crabbing gear. a group of whales was recently seen in a fishing zone near san francisco. officials will reassess this next month. >> we have an update on a pair of orphaned mountain lion kittens that were rescued by the oakland zoo last month. this is sister duo are now in their teething phase. they're 12 weeks old. they've been given some produce to chomp on. the zoo says it's a good low calorie option so they can bite it and shred it. and they're really beautiful animals as bite it and shred it, do it, eat it. >> that is so good to see. >> it's also good to see no rain. >> i think a lot of people. are liking having a break, especially as we head towards the holiday weekend. let's show you a picture outside. remember yesterday that was a messy commute this morning it is a lot quieter. here is a live look from sutro tower showing you those dry conditions. we have

good visibility out there, but with days of rain this week we have a really made big gains when it comes to our water year. to start out the week a lot of cities are running about half of where they should be for this time of the year. but you can see santa rosa nearly 90% of normal now closing in on 8.5in. so far for the water year, 5.5in. and in the city, oakland closing on three inches san jose two and a half and sfo nearly four inches. so you can see we're getting closer to where we should be this time of the year. we're going to get a break from the rain today. here's future weather. we'll have a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures by noon. quite delightful in the low 60s. we'll get into the mid 60s for afternoon highs and we will find some chilly numbers as we head into the overnight hours. we'll start to dip into the 30s and 40s for friday morning syndication. cooler air is moving in here, so today we have temperatures in the 60s. enjoy that tonight we will find those numbers dipping into the 30s and 40s. a little bit of coastal fog will develop at all. now we'll see mainly clear skies away from the coast heading into

christmas day. this is the graphic reggie. love to see the reindeer pop up in a second. it is looking nice. we will have the snowman and it's so cute. peek around. >> the snowman smiles. you see that? and then waves so it will be a nice holiday. >> we will have temperatures on the cool side into the 50s, but we will be dry on christmas day. here is the accuweather seven day forecast for the next seven days for you. winter begins today. what we'll find is that we will see sunshine throughout the weekend. some cold morning, saturday and sunday. it's a nice looking christmas before rain returns for the middle part of next week. hi sue. >> good morning drew. and yeah, a lot better conditions on the roads this morning as well. take a look at the golden gate bridge . it's a little slick out there, but no current rain and no fog to speak of. you have three lanes in the southbound direction right now and that will be rotating up to four lanes in just a little bit. we also have fog advisory for the altamont pass. that one is down

on the roads. and the chp issued that late last night. so use extra caution please, if you are traveling in that area. otherwise no major problems to report this morning. >> thank you sue, i'm obsessed with those graphics. >> i'm sorry, i just got because the reindeer. what are the reindeer doing? >> he's like, ooh, looks around, santa waives. >> santa goes ooh! >> chimney. >> and the little snowman say, hey, it's just the little things, you know? >> it keeps you going. coming up, the seven things to know this morning. >> just days away from christmas . and santa is not playing around. already in action. what he and some helpers delivered to hard working people in half moon bay. >> first us live. look outside.

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some migraine attacks catch you off guard. but for me a stressful day can trigger migraine attacks, too. that's why my go-to is nurtec odt. it's the only migraine medication that can treat and prevent my attacks all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. now, i'm in control. with nurtec odt, i can treat a migraine attack and prevent one. talk to your doctor about nurtec today. and here are the seven things to know this morning. number one, the holiday travel rush. it's kicking into high gear today. triple a is saying 115 million people are going to be traveling this year. if you're heading to southern california, there is a strong storm bringing the risk of flooding from santa barbara to san diego today and tomorrow.

>> and number two, here locally, we are drying out weather will not be an issue if you are traveling around the bay today. we will have a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures in the 60s. winter officially arrives here later this evening and number three, we are following your thursday morning commute with drier roads. >> thank you drew, and thank you to the weather gods. we are looking at the bay bridge toll plaza. no metering lights and pretty light conditions out there this morning. number four oakland police are searching for the person who shot and killed a pizza delivery driver yesterday afternoon. >> the victim was sitting in his car outside of his home during a break. >> number five, a federal judge has temporarily blocked a new law that would ban people from carrying guns in most public areas in california. the judge said the law violates the second amendment. >> number six. ten americans freed in a prisoner swap with venezuela are back on u.s. soil this morning, the exchange includes a fugitive, one in the u.s. and the return of a close ally of venezuela's president.

>> number seven, toyota's recalling about a million vehicles over a potential problem with the passenger airbag. the recall covers 15 toyota and lexus models, including the camry, sienna and rav4. owners will be notified of the next steps by february. >> earlier this week, we told you about volunteers working with the farm worker caravan, making thousands of tamales for farm workers in half moon bay. yesterday the teams made those deliveries and brought a lot more than just the food. a caravan of trucks and vans made its way to six farms in half moon bay to surprise the workers. they dropped off food, toys and donations from the nonprofit. alas, for many, this means they'll have food and gifts for christmas. it is a welcome sight as the community is recovering from a mass shooting and of course, the pandemic moments of celebrations. >> in the moments of pain. if we are in those moments, then we know that we are doing our job. >> volunteers say in total they were able to deliver over 2000 bags full of food and gifts, a

practice stopped because of the pandemic is coming back. coming up at 530. why? you may be contacted by the irs this tax season a relief from the rain this morning giving cities around the bay area a chance to clean up the mess left behind. a live look outside before we take a

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i know our jewish community is feeling under attack. i know that our palestinian community is also feeling under attack. it's we're a microcosm of the greater world. >> messages of hate found on a middle school campus. now at 530, how educators there are using the issue as a teachable moment for students. texas is now flying migrants to chicago. just the latest move in the debate over immigration policy. as more migrants arrive at the border and it may be a dry morning here in the bay area, but the southern part of the state, not as fortunate.

>> what you need to know if your holiday plans include traveling there. good morning everybody. it's thursday, december 21st. >> let's see that weather with meteorologist drew tuma. yeah. >> good morning. it is looking a lot better out there this morning compared to yesterday morning. we are dealing with dry conditions. a live look from our san jose camera this morning showing you we do have dry skies overhead. that area of low pressure that soaked us yesterday that is now southern calif was problem. and they are going to see heavy rainfall, rainfall rather across parts of southern california, especially santa barbara and even tour county. they could see six, 7 or 8in of rain over the next two days. but back here at home, we're starting out with temperatures in the upper 40s to the mid 50s. this morning you don't need the umbrella, but you need the you need the winter jacket. well, 48 in calistoga, 52, in nevada. mill valley right now is at 53 degrees. so we do have more clouds and sun to start out this morning later on by 9 a.m, but we'll see some of that cloud cover break down for brighter skies. midday we'll get you into the low 60s right around lunchtime time, and then we have dry conditions

throughout the afternoon and into the evening. by 4:00 pm, feeling quite nice. later on today, temperatures a bit above average will go into the mid 60s away from the coast. all right, we're dry today. let's see how we're doing on the roads with sue. good morning. >> good morning drew and we're pretty quiet. you're picking up along the east shore freeway. that's very typical uh- speeds slow between emeryville and the macarthur maze. also through berkeley and richmond, popping over to the san mateo bridge. things are moving at the limit across the span for about a 17 minute drive from the toll plaza over towards foster city. that's in the commute direction. here's another look at some of your drive times. tracy into dublin. it's pretty moderate. about 40 minutes now, and highway four is looking great into concord 101 across the golden gate bridge. it's clear this morning all the way from san rafael, about a 20 minute drive, and when we come back in a few minutes, we'll take a look at some of your mass transit schedules for the christmas weekend. >> thanks, sue. in the south bay police are investigating after swastikas were found on some lockers at block intermediate

school in los altos. this is the second incident in the district in as many weeks. students are now going to go through a training session as part of a partnership with the anti-defamation league. >> it is important that every student in order to learn, comes to school feeling safe, feeling respected, feeling seen. and when our environment is breached in some way, which this is a breach of that we want to make sure that kids understand their role. >> a recent report by the jewish community council of the bay area found more than 60% of bay area jews feel less safe in their day to day lives. >> happening now, if you're packing up to head somewhere for christmas, so are a lot of other people. triple a is predicting this will be the busiest holiday travel season ever, and today is supposed to be one of the busiest days. if you're flying. abc seven news reporter lena howland joining us live at sfo with what you need to know before you leave the house, you probably need to check and see if your flight is delayed.

right. lena that's right. >> kumasi good morning to you. so far here at sfo, they are already experiencing a total of 37 delays and four cancellations means the number of delays is up by just two in the last 30 minutes. nearly 47, nearly 49,000 planes are expected in the air today for the faa's busiest day in the skies, major airlines say most passengers will be flying between today and saturday. united airlines says they are projecting this christmas season to be their busiest on record, transporting around 9 million passengers over the holiday, with nearly 4000 flights a day. >> those planes are going to be full. the airports are going to be full. i'm not going to sugarcoat that. what our focus is, is making sure that we get those planes out on time and get those planes to their destination on time with their bags. >> still, the majority of folks nationwide will be driving to their holiday destinations and in southern california, you might run into this. a big storm

is hitting there now. this video just into our newsroom was taken from oxnard. it's causing some flooding, leaving cars stranded in water. and with the delays and cancellations that we are already seeing happening at sfo and really rolling in by the minute, it's a very important reminder to check your flight status before you head to the airport. live at sfo. lina howland abc seven news thanks, lina. >> heavy rain in the north bay caused some problems in santa rosa. we got a glimpse of this flooded street yesterday. the santa rosa fire says crews had to go in and clear it out by hand. in sonoma county, the fire district says crews rescued a family along marquis station road near the town of windsor. their car stalled along a flooded road. it was still dark. >> they may not have seen the water. i'm not quite sure. we always are telling people turn around, don't drown. >> also, in sonoma county, this home in the summer home park neighborhood was redtagged, a massive 250 foot redwood tree came crashing down right next to

it. it also took down several power lines. and check out this freeway on ramp underwater in oakland. we also spotted potholes on i-680 and in pacheco, slowing traffic and causing at least one flat tire. probably more. the chp quickly coned off the area before more cars could be damaged. in walnut creek, it was all about preparing for the worst. sandbag stations were open and ready for customers. now >> now here is a live look at tahoe. this is our camera at zephyr cove. you can see there is no snow falling this morning, but stormy weather did leave its mark. look at this. crews were dealing with this rock slide on highway 50 and echo summit and the sierra got hit with rain, sleet and snow with roads turning icy overnight. there have been there has been, i should say, some avalanche control work going on along highway 50. so if you're heading that way, plan for possible delays. don't forget you can get the latest weather conditions. you can access the same doppler

seven weather radar that drew and the weather team use. just search abc seven bay area in your devices app store and you can download it. this morning, 20 million people in southern california are under a flood watch. >> lena mentioned this to us earlier. flooding has already started in some areas. as a second storm moves through, the l.a. area. could see 2 to 4in of rain, 4 to 8in are possible in isolated areas in the mountains. yesterday, business owners were scrambling to prepare for is prone to flooding, so you just got to prepare for it. >> so we have sandbags and we have uh- lots of plastic. and we've seen it flood quite a few times. so we kind of are prepared and so hopefully we'll just see what this storm does. >> meteorologists at our sister station in los angeles say the heaviest rains expected tonight into tomorrow morning. >> anyone who owes back taxes will soon be hearing from the irs. the agency is about to start sending reminder notices to individuals and groups, a practice that it stopped last february because a major backlog

coming out of the pandemic. now, in addition, the irs will be informing some 5 million taxpayers that they are eligible for penalty relief. the group includes individuals, businesses and tax exempt organizations earning less than $400,000. cybersecurity experts say gift card scams are on the rise this year. messing with gift giving this season. scammers are tampering with cards and stealing the barcodes. we told you about this. some of the plots are convincing online shoppers to pay with gift cards that are not actually from the retailers. >> that's a huge red flag. there's a lot of scams that are perpetrated where the scammer is asking for a gift card, such as like a grandparent scam or a utility scam. >> here are three tips to avoid getting scammed one. check with your finger for stickers that are covering the barcode. stickers may have a phony barcode to be scanned at checkout. two beware of websites that check your gift cards. balance they may end up taking

your credit. the card number and then your pin to drain the balance. and then three. check for ripped or wrinkled wrap ring wrap ring. the thieves often remove cards and record the numbers, and then try to put it back. >> that's a lot. >> that's a lot to remember, honestly. >> scientists at the lawrence livermore lab say their efforts to create a near-limitless supply of clean energy is entering a new era. since announcing a historic nuclear fusion reaction a year ago. they've successfully recreated that reaction three more times. this is a big deal because nuclear fusion releases more energy than it uses, and there is essentially no waste. they still have a long way to go to be able to scale up toward powering electric grids and heating buildings. the focus now is building on the success and figuring out how to scale up fusion project, how the scale of the fusion project and bring down costs. >> ten americans are now freed in a prisoner exchange with

venezuela. i'm abc's justin finch with more on the deal. and what the u.s. gave to venezuela. >> reporter it is peak giving season in the bay area. the groups making a difference in their communities. but first, a check in the weather with drew. >> hey. good morning. we are tracking a dry day today. we're entering a dry pattern over the next several days. live. look from the exploratorium camera showing you really quiet conditions. you can leave the rain gear at home this morning. you just need the winter jacket as we are starting out. pretty cool. the rain that soaked us yesterday. that's now in southern california so la is going to be in and out of heavy rain today. if you are traveling there across the northwest, we're looking great. seattle upper 40s with a blend of sun and clouds. a storm system working through oklahoma and texas today will bring rain showers there, but we're looking nice in chicago at 43 degrees but cloudy skies and along the east coast, we'll know whether issues to talk about. it is quiet from new york down through miami, with temperatures pretty close to average for this time of the year. back here at home,

we are drying out today along the coast. it will be a nice day. mix of sun and clouds, temperatures going into the low 60s this afternoon around the bay shoreline. you don't need the umbrella. you can see we will have partly cloudy skies later on today. it does get chilly later on tonight. we'll dip into the 40s around the bay shoreline and inland. today we are starting out with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. we'll top out in the low and mid 60s this afternoon under partly cloudy skies. if you are traveling up to tahoe, perhaps over the next three days, we do have some morning rain showers right now that will give way to sunshine later on this afternoon. you shouldn't have any trouble getting up to tahoe today. it is mostly sunny here on friday and then on saturday they do have a chance of flurries, but unfortunately it doesn't accumulate to anything but temperatures do cool off with highs in the upper 30s to start out the weekend, we'll take a look at how christmas day is shaping up on the seven

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he is now flying migrants to chicago. 120 people arrived on the first flight because the city, quote, started obstructing and targeting our bussing mission. end quote. now, this comes after abbott signed a law earlier this week. if this law is upheld, it would allow local police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. a record 12,600 crossed in one day alone. >> we need a surge. immigration judges to the border. this is america. people need to get their cases heard in days, not years. and if they do not qualify for asylum, they need to be deported. >> there's now growing concern about the economic impact of the surge in migrants. officials recently closed some rail

crossings at the border, stopping freight trains that carry everything from produce to auto parts. one rail company says the shutdown cost them $200 million a day. >> a high stakes prisoner swap is bringing ten americans back home to the u.s. after being held in venezuela. one of them is from berkeley, an exchange the u.s. is extraditing a notorious fugitive. some republicans are blasting the deal. here's abc's justin finch. >> this morning, a first look at six wrongfully detained americans in route to a texas army base after being freed in a prisoner exchange deal with venezuela. the white house national security adviser posting this image online and welcoming the men home. california businessman savoy wright had been held in venezuela since october. >> so much gratitude for, for the moment for the united states of america, for all of you and for the for the opportunity to come home. >> los angeles attorney evan hernandez is heading home after

being detained in venezuela since march of 2022, accused of being a spy. >> i want to thank president biden because i know he made a difficult decision that will have a lot of pressure on him on capitol hill, but he got us home and we're with our families. >> senate republican marco rubio slamming the exchange as a disgraceful decision. the biden administration brokering the deal with venezuela, the white house agreeing to grant clemency to alex saab, who faced money laundering charges, president nicolas maduro embracing his close ally at the presidential palace in exchange for saab. venezuela sent back ten americans plus fugitive malaysian defense contractor leonard glenn francis francis, also known as fat leonard, escaped u.s. custody last year. francis pleaded guilty to the $35 billion scheme, which used prostitutes, luxury travel and cash to bribe u.s. naval

officers into steering lucrative contracts to his companies. as part of that deal, president biden says president maduro also gave assurances he would allow fair elections. biden also saying lifted sanctions could snap back if venezuela doesn't uphold its end of the deal. justin finch, abc news, washington. well is already on. >> this is a live look. this morning from new york city. that giant 20-24. you see the numerals have arrived at times square in time for initial lighting ceremony five, four, three, two, one. >> happy new year. yes. >> okay. you know, you gotta make sure it works. the numbers have been on tour at holiday events from coast to coast. they're going to be moved from the broadway plaza to one times square on the 31st. and that's when the real festivities start.

dick clark's new year's rockin eve with ryan seacrest kicks off at 8 p.m. that night, then a special edition of abc seven news at 10 p.m, and then back to new year's rockin eve at 1030 until the countdown to the ball drop. >> 500 local families will get all the food they need for a nice christmas dinner. bay area rescue mission is doing a turkey dinner giveaway in richmond. the box of hope will include turkey dressing and other staples. this is video from thanksgiving, when the nonprofit organization held a similar event. >> it's the season of giving for the warriors, fresh off of a big game against the celtics. trace jackson davis went on a shopping spree at target alongside some of the underserved kids and families that they support, picking out items that they really wanted for the holidays. this is one of several holiday events that the warriors are taking part in. this year. you can spend christmas day with the warriors right here on abc seven. they're going to be taking on the denver nuggets. coverage starts at 11. after

that, the celtics play the lakers at two. then at five it's time for football. 40 niners taking on the ravens. that game is at levi's. you can watch it here. and then after that you can watch after the game chock full on monday. >> you know problems with the niners game on monday. if you're going to go oh that's good. it'll be dry out there. we'll have partly cloudy skies, temperatures probably dipping into the upper 40s as the game gets underway. today we are finally entering a dry pattern after days of rain. here the accuweather headlines. it is a brighter day today as we begin the drying out process. yes, welcome to the winter solstice. winter officially begins here at 727 this evening. so today is the shortest day of the year. from here on out, we'll start to gain on our daylight hours. and this weekend we'll have some chilly mornings. but the afternoons will feature a lot of sunshine shine. so here's a look at future weather showing you it's just a blend of sun and clouds today. here's lunchtime getting you into the 60s. after starting our morning right now in the upper 40s to the lower 50s, and later on this afternoon, it's just a quiet day today and temperatures above

average. it is a mild afternoon. we'll bounce into the mid 60s for a lot of us. i have 64 in oakland and in the city, 66 in san jose, 64 in napa. we'll go 63 in antioch, 65. the high in santa cruz, a bit of coastal fog developing tonight, but away from the coast we will have clear skies and a chillier night will start to see some cities dip into the 30s in some of our coldest spots as we head into friday. future tracker temperatures on friday looking delightful. upper 50s to lower 60s. close to average, a little bit cooler on saturday and on sunday. but all in all, the weekend is shaping up to be nice. and if you have to travel here locally, no issues. it's a similar story here for christmas day. the day planner will show you it's a morning cool start. we'll have temperatures in the 40s, but then it's just a mix of sun and clouds and a cool afternoon with those temperatures getting you into the upper 50s. so here is the accuweather 70 forecast for the next seven days for you. what you'll see is winter begins here. today. we'll have some morning fog to sun tomorrow. it's just a chilly morning both saturday and sunday. but christmas is looking nice before our next chance of rain arrives

on wednesday. >> hi sue, good morning drew. yep, the longest day of the year or the shortest day of the year. we're looking forward to the longest day. still dark out there in san jose. yep and you can see traffic is pretty light too. that's 87 headed up towards the san jose airport court. so just a few cars headed to the lower portion of your screen. and we'll take a look at the richmond san rafael bridge again , pretty light conditions, very dark at 550 on this thursday morning. and while we're looking at the richmond-san rafael bridge, just know that if you're planning on taking mass transit this weekend, christmas eve is sunday. christmas day is monday, and most mass transit schedules will be on the usual weekend schedule. some services will not be running on christmas day, so make sure you check ahead. thanks to new at six, the number of californians who say they're worried i could cost them their jobs. >> first, though, hope for lahaina. the encouraging signs of recovery after the devastating august wildfires on maui. a live look outside now.

while on a bike ride during a family camp outing, is speaking out as a kidnaping suspect appears in court. here's abc news reporter erielle reshef in this morning's gma first look. >> an abc news exclusive. what was it like in those hours not knowing what what happened to your niece or where she might be. a family on a camping trip. when a nine year old girl was taken on a bike ride, her sudden disappear, sparking a massive multi-agency manhunt, thankfully ending with her safe return. and this morning, her aunt is speaking out for the girl's family for the first time. to gma. >> you're thinking like, what if this doesn't end soon? what if

we can't find her? >> what does justice look like for you and your family? >> well, in a sense, there is no justice because, as you know, you wish that this didn't happen in the first place. >> and coming up at 7 a.m, we'll have much more of this exclusive interview and the family's message to others about how these sensitive cases are handled with your gma first look i'm erielle reshef abc news new york. south iceland is still in a state of emergency this morning as a nearby volcanic eruption continues. >> it's gotten many residents wonder if they will ever see their homes again. the town of grindavik is still under a mandatory evacuation. some of the lava spewing has subsided, but experts say an underground magma tunnel is still active and it's dangerous. >> and the magma that is coming up is around 1200 degrees hot. when it comes to the surface, and it takes a long time for the surface to cool down the volcano

sits about two miles outside of grindavik, which has a population of about 4000 people. >> maui residents say there is new hope for lahaina now that water and aquatic life have returned. >> of course, you remember the wildfires that caused devastation on the island this summer. the cultural center at the epicenter of lahaina lost several irreplaceable artifacts. that includes books signed by hawaiian kings and queens. despite the loss, residents are pointing to the signs of life and hope. looking at this at the same time, looking at that, this gives me hope that that can thrive and live again. residents say they are committed to restoring lahaina. >> we'll take you to our east bay hills camera this morning. it is looking great out there. we are drying out and today begins a dry pattern that will last through early parts of next week. here's live doppler seven along with satellite. you can see low pressure spinning now off the coast of southern

california. this is the same low that soaked us yesterday. now it's southern california's turn. we're tracking a heavy rain around la this morning and that will continue on and off today and tomorrow as well. the morning commute here locally a lot better than it was yesterday. so you take a look at the next several hours. we have dry conditions. by the time the sun gets up here. it's a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures kind of fluctuating through the 50s through 10 a.m. before we get into the 60s. later on this afternoon, break it down region by region. today whether you're along the coast, the bay, shoreline or inland, today we'll find partly cloudy conditions. temperatures into the 60s. so it's a mild afternoon. it's a dry afternoon. leave the rain gear at home. next time you need your umbrella. next wednesday. that's our next best chance of rain. guys >> thank you. drew. next at six, a million toyotas under a recall. the issues manufacturers now have to fix. >> then inside the home where it's been christmas since the summer, the decorations that take a year to plan and put up. >> turns out not as many people

are buying a popular breakfast food anymore. how this is impacting the price of cereal. >> this live look outside at 557 and the ferry building l dressed up in green this morning.