the final travel rush of 2023 begins today. now at 5:00. tsa expecting millions of travelers starting this morning and into the weekend, many hoping to make it home for the new year. >> our objectives is life, property, environment in that order from the bay area all the way down to southern california. >> massive waves flooding into coastal communities, leaving behind a mess. some people dealing with property damage, others with injuries. >> good morning to you. it is friday, december 29th. welcome to the five l weekday of 2023. can you believe that? >> i know we're starting it off with some rain, little drizzle, little drizzle out there.

>> waves are still an issue this morning and then it turns wet and windy later this afternoon. here's live doppler seven this morning. we mainly have drizzle scattered light showers to begin the day. the heaviestrillionain is going to hold off until this afternoon and this evening. the wider picture the stream of moisture along a cold front that's going to press in later today. and will bring us rounds of heavy rain to finish out the day. it is mild out there this morning. look at this. we're near 60 degrees right now in the city. it's 62 in san jose, 57 right now in napa. so it's not chilly by any means thanks to a mild south wind on the abc seven storm impact scale. this is a level three. we have upgraded the storm to a strong storm this afternoon. this evening with downpours, rough surf, strong winds will likely see pockets of flooding along the coast and on area roadways. so here's how the day breaks down this morning. it's just windy later on today with some light showers. the heaviestrillionain is right around 4 p.m. for a lot of us, it's going to be a messy evening with thatrillionain and that wind temperatures going into the 60s. we'll take a much closer

look into daetz with these showers and that wind coming up in eight minutes. let's check in with sue and see how we're doing with the roads this morning. good morning drew and good morning everyone. >> it is friday, may the last friday of the year. and we are seeing some pretty light conditions that quiet week between christmas and new year's. and it's being reflected on the roads this morning. san mateo bridge is looking good. everybody's at the limit, about a 17 minute drive from 8-80 over towards 101, and the san mateo side of things. take a look at the east shore freeway. lots of gaps between those headlights every body is moving at the limit from el cerrito through berkeley and on into emeryville. no delays here and no delays at the bay bridge, either. we'll talk about your mass transit for new year's eve. when we come back. >> thank you. sue, tsa is expecting to screen more than 2.6 million people today at airports across the country, and it's expected to get even busier over the weekend. the faa says the busiest day will be saturday , with more than 48,000 flights expected. tsa has recorded passenger volumes averaging

nearly 2.5 million people since december 20th, and that's only 5% down from the all time air travel record of 2.9 million people. that was set just a few weeks back during the sunday after thanksgiving. oakland international airport it was packed with long lines to check bags at southwest yesterday. those lines led to long lines at tsa and many passengers missed their flights even though they got there early. >> we're going to miss our flight, but that's all right. we see another one at seven, so hopefully it won't make that one. yeah. long line. yeah we got here two hours early. like it said but just not early enough. yeah i expected to be busy. >> i did not expect this line. so this will be an interesting day. >> um, it's been crazy. i've lived here my whole life. i come down here every year for christmas, and it's never been this bad. and everybody in line is also like, yeah, it's never been this bad. >> oakland airport experienced only 27 delays yesterday with no cancellations. now here's a live

look at san francisco international airport this morning. according to flight tracker flightaware, 110 flights were delayed out of sfo yesterday, but no reported canceled flights those huge waves there. >> dramatic images from across the bay area, the huge waves smashing up against northern california beaches. the epic surf is bringing back familiar storm damage and close calls out in the ocean. the worst of the damage seems to be down in santa cruz county. abc seven news south bay reporter lauren martinez was there, surveying the aftermath of these wild waves and what might still be to come. whoa >> people lining the bay area coastline to see the beauty and the power of mother nature up close. you who sometimes close despite several warnings

in santa cruz county, different areas were under an evacuated warning that was lifted by thursday afternoon. coastal communities like capitola were pummeled. by the evening, city workers and business owners were busy trying to get the area dry. everybody's cleaning up from any, you know, water. >> that little water came in and sand and stuff. so so mostly you're just cleaning and tidying up for a lot of these businesses here in capitola village. >> they'll be reopened on friday. the damage is nowhere near what it was earlier this year, not even close to what happened earlier this year. >> so it was it was a bummer today, but it wasn't quite near it like it was last year. so we're thankful for that. >> city workers were inspecting restaurants and other businesses for safety. we saw a couple places yellow tagged for restricted use, but the majority were deemed safe at paradise beach grill. they plan to be open on friday. this holiday weekend for the charming beach

town will be a big one. >> this last kind of this two week period is kind of the sunny spot in the winter for restaurants, you know, and retail. so, um, you know, we're, we're, we're hoping to get some people down here, officials are warning residents to prepare for more rain on friday and another coastal wave event that is expected early saturday in capitola. >> lauren martinez abc seven news. >> emergency crews plan to be on watch in the north bay after flooding concerns, said people evacuate stinson beach firefighter were out helping shore up properties and clear sand or really anything else that could cause flooding for some residents. this triggered memories of last winter trying to barricade to make sure that we're in better hands than last year. >> i think it came kind of a surprise prize. um, last year, with how the water can get completely up to these houses. >> a warning issued yesterday morning has been since lifted, but that incoming weather and

high surf could mean more problems. dangerous waves struck up and down california's coastline. look at this. this happened in ventura. massive waves took all these people by surprise. you can see how powerful the waves were moving that vehicle and anything really in the way people were scrambling for safety. we know at least eight people had to be taken to local hospitals, beaches in the county have since been shut down. here's reporter luzdelia caballero with more on the damage in ventura. no, it was a chaotic scene in ventura. >> everyone okay? anyone missing? as water came rushing into a neighborhood? holy john frizzell capturing the moment it all happened. this wave just came seemingly out of nowhere. >> just this rush. i mean, you saw it. it was 6 to 8ft deep,

but the damage didn't stop. >> there. down below, folks worked quickly to clear out the drains in anticipation of the next swell. >> i'm kind of just shaking. um, just i'm just trying to hold on to positive thoughts and just a few miles away, more for cleanup. >> and here at emma woods state beach, it didn't take long for those big waves to crash on the shoreline and cause flooding. like you can see sending debris everywhere. where and now drivers are forced to navigate their way out. this is insane. stephanie massman says she has never seen anything quite like this. >> when i was up on the pier, i actually felt the pier shaking, adding waves only seemed to be getting bigger by the minute. it doesn't even seem real. >> and now people are left cleaning up the mess left behind and preparing for what's next. >> it's really. yeah, it's a lot . >> we still have issues with our waves. they're not as high as they were yesterday, but still a high surf advisory is still

along the coastline until 6 p.m. today. current wave heights anywhere from 5 to 13ft. we could see breakers approaching 15 to 19ft. and combine that with times of high tide, we have a coastal flood advisory in effect as well. high tide today is right around noon, so around lunchtime the combination of the tides and the increased surf will likely lead to more coastal flooding in areas. that's something we'll watch very closely as we approach midday, then into the afternoon. it's all about rain and wind. a wind advisory is in effect for all of the north bay. the bay shoreline, including oakland, fremont, san mateo and the south bay, where we could see winds gusting up to 50mph. later on today. right now, winds strongest along the coast in in ukiah, where they're gusting about 25mph. this morning. just some light drizzle out there. but watch what happens this afternoon right around 4 p.m. this cold front is moving through here and it will bring rounds of heavy rain. that's the bright colors you see on your screen. and we'll have that heavy rain throughout the evening. that's why it's a level

three, a strong storm on the abc seven storm impact scale. so storm concerns very high for standing water on roads, medium for coastal flooding, also for power outages. as we will see some gusty winds and we will get sierra snow. a winter weather advisory is in effect. we'll talk much more about the rain, the wind and the snow in the sierra coming up in just a few minutes. gloria. >> all right, drew, thank you so much. preparations are underway for the new year's eve fireworks celebration in san francisco. coming up, how the city is stepping up security to keep spectators safe. >> a civil war era provision in the constitution once again threatening donald trump's political future. i'm rachel bade with abc news, and i'll tell you more next. >> a new timeline in the city of oakland. how long the city is expected now to be without a permanent police chief

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to the scene. abc seven news reporter lena howland is there with what is going on. lena

>> kumasi. we are a few blocks down the street from where that is happening at ninth avenue and we are monitoring a very heavy, heavy police presence. i'm going to step out of the shot so you can see a better idea of what we are seeing on scene. just a lot of police officers, as we were headed over here from the oakland international airport, we were passed by multiple police officers racing here with their lights on from chp and the oakland police department. this is something that also has multiple off ramps and on ramps off of 880 near the embarcadero area. shut down right now because of this police activity, we are working to get some more information from police about what is actually happening here. what happened? we are also seeing many different police officers contact some people that may have been witnesses there trying to get more information. just like we are trying to get more information about what may have happened out here. that's what we're going to be working on throughout the hour as we work to learn more about what happened here and

what's causing this huge police presence. but for now, reporting live in oakland, lena howland, abc seven news. all right, lena, thank you. >> we'll check in with you in a little bit. the search for oakland's next police chief will start over on monday. this after oakland mayor shengtao reject all the finalists. a new timeline released by the police commission lays out a timeline to fill the job. but many say it needs to be filled sooner. here's abc seven news reporter suzanne phan who's going to take care of the public safety? >> who's going to take care of the citizens of oakland and the businesses of oakland? when oakland mayor shengtao on wednesday dismissed the list of three finalists for the city's top cop, now we're back to square one. >> many community leaders like bishop robert jackson were deeply concerned about the safety of oakland. opd has been led by an interim chief since february. >> we need a police chief. we've been waiting for a police chief. it's been a year now. we still don't have a police chief. >> carl chan is a community leader who connects with many businesses in oakland's

chinatown. he says finding and hiring a police chief is urgent to do with all these issues. >> in our city especially, there's so many attacks against businesses, residents and pretty much everyone you know is concerned about their own safety. >> former oakland police chief lauren armstrong was reportedly one of the top three finalists rejected. mayor tao fired armstrong, citing a federal monitors finding that he mishandled two officer misconduct cases. an independent arbitrator cleared him of those accusations. many community leaders say they want him to return. >> the mayor was very adamant about she's not going to do that without public comment. >> we will now adjourn to closed session this thursday night, the oakland police commission held a closed session meeting. >> afterwards, they announced to restart the hiring process with the following timeline january 1st run through january 31, 2024 open recruitment period. >> march one, 2024 find names

sent to the mayor. >> mayor tao will make the ultimate decision on who to hire. as for the police commission, they remain tight lipped. >> the entire commission will continue due to observe a media blackout to respect the confidentiality of applicants who may be presently employed. >> as others worry about what happens next. >> this decision has to be made as soon as possible. >> according to the oakland police commission, the bottom line is we are committed to finding the best candidate for oakland in oakland, suzanne phan abc seven news. >> the new year's eve celebration in san francisco, also on the fbi's radar. abc seven news obtained a threat assessment from the agency, flagging san francisco as a, quote, attractive target for would be attackers. it's because of its size, cultural significance and associated media coverage. >> you need to be aware that there are threats out there or

there are, um, people that are out to do harm. but for san francisco know there's nothing credible, uh, there's nothing specific. and there's nothing that's prohibiting us from from celebrating the new year. >> the fbi has cited specific concerns related to san francisco, saying the large, unprotected coastline and fireworks barges could be targets. sfpd says it's working with the u.s. coast guard and the marine unit to respond, according lee. well, sanfran cisco's annual waterfront fireworks show starts at the stroke of midnight on new year's day. but if you're going to go out there, you're encouraged to grab a spot early along the promenade. if you want the best view, the city is also encouraging people to shop, eat, go to restaurants at pier 39 and at the ferry building before the show. there's some good places at both. both spots. yeah. >> good idea. yeah. and if you're going to stay in for the new year, you can join us right here on abc seven. dick clark's new year's rockin eve with ryan seacrest kicks off at 8 p.m. on

sunday, and then abc seven news is on at 10 p.m, so we can take you back to ryan seacrest at 1030, where the countdown. to midnight and sounds like a good plan. maybe stay in, but those folks who are going to be out and about will they have nice weather? it depends. >> yeah, it will be nice. will be cloudy but dry. so we'll finish out the year without any rainfall, but focuses this afternoon and this evening where we have heavy rain and some strong winds that will move in here. it is a level three, a strong storm on the abc seven storm impact scale. rain will be heavy at times. travel is going to be very slow later on today and it will be slick out there as we'll find some areas of flooding along the coast and on our roadways. here's the front. you can see that line of cloud cover, that moisture train that is headed in our direction, that will bring about some of that heavy rain later on today. this morning it's just scattered light mist and light drizzle out there. you'll find some slick conditions, but the heaviest of the rain is still about eight hours away from falling. here's future weather. you can see some light showers first thing this morning. not a huge issue, but as we head into the afternoon,

we'll start to see some scattered downpours arrive by 3:00 pm and it's right around sunset and thereafter. look at that heavy rain that line the yellow, the orange and the red indicating that very heavy rain moving through to finish out the evening. rainfall totals. good amount of rain coming our way. we could see some areas over an inch of rain over the next 24 hours, and that could lead to localized flooding, certainly ponding on our roadways. winds also an issue. they'll be gusty up to 20 to 40mph later this morning into the early afternoon. we have a winter weather advisory in effect for the sierra. this starting at 10 p.m. tonight. we could see 4 to 8in of snow above 6000ft, 18in on our highest peaks. here's the accuweather seven day forecast a level three later on this evening. it is stormy with scattered showers on saturday were cloudy but dry for new year's eve. on sunday it's a brighter start to the new year in 2024, on monday and then our next storm arrives next wednesday. sue all right, we're taking a look at the richmond san rafael bridge. >> hard to tell because of the wet camera. so yes, you do have

slick roads, wet roads and the high planing and skimming along the roads is definitely a possibility early this morning. otherwise traffic is pretty light out there. it's holiday light. so we'll take a look at your mass transit for this weekend. for new year's eve, sunday service, bart will be running extra trains and extended service until 1 a.m. caltrain and ace trains matter of fact, i want to point out today, ace trains are modified. one of the only mass transit schedules that is changed for today. ladies. >> all right. thank you. sue. coming up, the seven things to know this morning. >> new year, new laws. we're breaking down the policies going into

start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. coastal communities. hopefully not like this. we had waves as high as 40ft in low lying areas and it made a mess. >> yeah. number two, we still have a high surf advisory along our coast this morning. this afternoon it's a level three storm with heavy rain, some strong winds, rough surf, even the chance of thunderstorms. we could see flooding along the coast and even flooding on some of our area roadways. here's how

the day breaks down. some light showers this morning turns windy by midday. the heaviest rain later this afternoon and this evening with temperatures in the 60s. >> and number three, we are looking at a solo spin out, a fog advisory here on highway four. the solo spin out happens to be in daly city, north to 80, north of highway one. due to rain to left lanes are blocked. there >> all right. hopefully they're okay. number four, 2.6 million americans are expected to board a plane today. the tsa says the busiest day of the weekend will be tomorrow, with more than 48,000 flights expected. >> number five, college football playoff semifinals are on monday . alabama and michigan are playing in the rose bowl, and yesterday those two teams were treated to a magical experience at disneyland. you can watch the rose bowl on espn, but before that, you can watch the rose parade live right here on abc seven. that starts at 8 a.m. number six, the new gates are

being used at the west oakland bart station. >> bart is using the gates to test different door materials under going hundreds of tests. next month, bart is expected to announce the next eight stations that will get them number seven. >> bart fares go up on monday by 5.5. bart is also increasing its discount for clipper start riders from 20% to 1550. i should say percent. clipper start is a program for low income residents in the bay area . >> we are just one weekend away from 2024. hundreds of new laws are taking effect in california starting today. actually, they start on monday and they range from increased worker benefits to changes in how we make hotel reservations. abc seven news anchor karina nova has a rundown of some of these new laws. the new year is bringing in a host of new laws that will make living and working in california more enjoyable. >> let's start with the minimum wage. it's going up to $16 an hour on january first for fast

food workers. it's jumping to $20 an hour in april. another benefit for workers all full and part time employees in california are getting a minimum of five sick days a year renting a home is a little bit more accessible starting in 2024, landlords can only ask for one month's rent as a security deposit instead of the typical two months rent before. now, if you own an electric scooter or bicycle, good news you can now store it inside your apartment. if the battery meets certain safety guidelines. if it doesn't, your landlord may require you to purchase liability insurance or may prohibit you from charging it indoors and be careful where you park. come 2024. parking like this will be illegal. the new law prohibits drivers from parking within 20ft of a vehicle's approach to a cross walk. drivers will only get

warnings in 2024, but they will start getting tickets the following year. wonder how much your coworkers make now? a new law protects you from retaliation. if you want to discuss your wages with your coworkers or even complain about low wages to your boss, employers are now banned from discriminating against a worker who uses cannabis while not at work and away from their workplace. employers also won't be able to ask a job applicant if they've used cannabis, and now you can make a hotel or airbnb reservation with more ease of mind. a new law gives you 24 hours to cancel a reservation once you make it. if the place you're staying at is located in california, you just need to make the reservation at least 72 hours before you're supposed to check in. but be careful with campground reservations at state parks or beaches. you'll be penalized one day's lodging if you cancel 2 to

6 days from the start of a reservation. in no shows or cancellations within 24 hours of the start of the reservation will be charged for the entire stay in a new law might help you in the kitchen. manufacturers must now disclose if your nonstick cookware has hazardous chemicals. the law also prohibits misleading advertising on cookware, packaging. in march, the california consumer privacy act takes full effect. that means you'll be able to prevent businesses from selling or sharing your sensitive data. wish there was a cheaper way to repair your broken phone or other electronics? the right to repair act requires electronics and appliance manufacturers to share information about their devices so that consumers and small repair shops can service them. the only bad thing is we have to wait until july for the law to take effect. but karina nova, abc seven news well, here's a question how long do you think people should keep

their holiday decorations up? >> when the spirit moves you, then you take it down. >> you don't judge. we don't judge here. >> to each their own. >> yeah, we don't judge. you all year. whatever you want to do. >> yeah, well, you know, coming up at 530, the age old debate rages on. how long is it appropriate to keep up those holiday decorations? i say right after new year's. you think so? i think so, it's good we don't judge you either. >> yeah. >> presidential hopeful nikki haley walking back, comments. she made about the civil war, now clarifying a response to a question about why it started

travel rush to close out 2023. now at 530, millions of americans are taking to the skies this weekend. plus.

>> oh my goodness. high surf proving to be destructive and even dangerous for many coastal communities. many of them are cleaning up this morning while staying alert for more activity. but it's not all mess and destruction. >> when it comes to the high surf. massive waves at mavericks beach were a welcome sight to adrenaline chasing surfers, and there were a lot of them out there yesterday. >> those waves. i know they were happy, but oh, hopefully everybody was safe. yes. good morning everybody. happy friday. the last friday of 2023 is december 29th. could not believe it. >> well, why don't we get started with a check of the weather with meteorologist drew tuma? because, drew, i know we're talking about possible rain today, right? yeah >> heavier. later this afternoon, along with some gusty winds this morning. live doppler seven showing you pockets of drizzle, some light showers out there, but the main event is going to be this afternoon and this evening. live doppler seven. here's the area of low pressure pushing this cold front into our neck of the woods. the stream of moisture that will bring us some rounds of heavy rain later on today. this is a

level three, a strong storm on the abc seven storm impact scale. we have upgraded it from a level two, which we were headed at yesterday because downpours look heavy at times. we have some strong gusty winds developing. we still have rough surf along our coastline with a high surf advisory. there's a chance of thunderstorms and with these downpours we could see flooding on some of our area roadways. here's how the day breaks up this morning. it's all about some light showers as the winds begin to ramp up. it's later today into the afternoon right around 4:00 pm. that's when we have rounds of heavy rain falling along with some gusty winds, and we have that wind advisory in effect as well. we'll take a closer look at those details coming up and a few minutes. let's check in with sue and see how we're doing on the roads this morning. >> good morning. what roads are definitely a thing again this morning. we've got a couple of solo spinouts to highlight. we'll go to daly city. this one is north to 80 right near the transition to northbound highway one. a solo spin out. it's blocking the two left lanes. and i am seeing some slowing. also approaching the golden gate bridge. apparently another solo spin out here. this blocking the

second lane from the left. and the car was abandoned there. apparently two men were seen walking on the shoulder. so very dangerous. possible dangerous situation for the golden gate bridge. >> thank you sue. we continue to track breaking news out of the east bay. a heavy police presence in oakland. officers are surrounding an area around embarcadero and fifth avenue near 8-80. abc seven news reporter lena howland is at the scene with the very latest, and police just asked you to move to a different spot. lena come on, c that's right. >> we have been moved from the original spot that we were at. we actually just got moved a few blocks back. we are at the port of oakland now, which is several blocks away from where you said the scene was near fifth avenue and embarcadero, just off of the 8-80. i want to go now to some video taken from the scene right before we got moved, which shows what a heavy police presence we are really seeing out here in oakland this morning. this all happened right before four, 5:00. but really, we don't have

any other information. we're still waiting to hear back from investigators from oakland police, from chp about what is really going on out here. we can tell you it has drawn in a heavy police presence, and we did see many, many police officers racing here with their lights on as we were headed to the scene from the oakland international airport. so for now, we're going to continue to stay out here as we work to get more information from officials. for now, reporting live in oakland, lena howland abc seven news. all right, lena, thank you so much. >> waves and surf were so extreme that it forced the evacuations of some homes up north in stinson beach. there was also flooding on streets in pacifica and in ocean rescue of a surfer off the coast. the worst of the damage seems to be down in santa cruz county. it caps off this 2023 that has been defined by storms for the coastal towns around santa cruz and capitola, the

that. that's over near the santa cruz lighthouse. the waves were high enough to knock over people who were watching the surf at what they thought was a safe distance, and locals in half moon bay were surprised by just how massive the swells were at the world famous mavericks beach. abc seven news south bay reporter dustin dorsey found people from around the world who flocked to the coast to enjoy nature's show with big storms come big waves and big time surf and there's no place bigger than mavericks and half moon bay. >> the waves looked absolutely massive and it was everything that, uh, we expected. it was really big. i would say maybe 40 to 60 foot waves. >> miguel blanco flew into town all the way from portugal to surf the historic waves of mavericks. it was difficult to see from our vantage point on the shoreline, but this incredible footage shot in the

water gave us a look at what the brave surfers were able to see. i can't imagine what it's like staring at a 40 foot wave and dropping in. if it's your turn and you just got to go, you know, like when you see a big wave, you're kind of scared. >> but at the same time you're you're feeling like you should go and you go and you just go and enjoy the ride for local iron banner, he wished he didn't have to share incredible waves like these with everyone else, but he recognizes the legacy of mavericks fans, the small surf town of princeton and half moon bay. >> uh, it's like pretty gnarly. i mean, it's super big people from all over portugal, brazil, tahiti, hawaii, kai, lenny and his brother out there. yeah yeah, a lot of a lot of amazing surfing going down. >> hbo was on hand creating a documentary of the day's events, but a look through the sails and mist shows crowds of spectators was here to catch the action as well. >> we're seeing some huge swells , big waves and some surfers that are crazy going out there.

it was crazy enough to just watch the surfing, but hundreds took the two mile walk to the coastline from the town to line up and down the steep cliffs of the beach. >> san mateo county officials did what they can to suggest people stay away, but these waves brought them to the bay area from far and wide. it's amazing. >> yeah, we're pretty lucky here . pretty special place. we live in. >> it certainly is. i mean, it might become a yearly event for this always. and when you see this, the question isn't why, it's why not at mavericks and half moon bay, dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> developing news. the secretary of state in maine has joined colorado in deciding that donald trump is ineligible to be president. abc news reporter rachel bade explains the unprecedented decisions will head to the supreme court for a final ruling for the second time this month, a us state booting former president donald trump from the ballot, citing the constitution's insurrection clause. >> attorneys representing a republican, a democrat and an

independent cited the civil war era provision as justification for kicking mr. trump off the ballot. >> we believe former president trump on january six engaged in an insult action against the constitution of the united states and under section three of the 14th amendment that disqualify him from holding the office of the presidency and president trump's legal team, citing other secretary of state who passed on removing him from the ballot, all of whom have been asked to engage in this type of in a disqualification in every administrative official has has declined to do that for good reason. >> ultimately, maine secretary of state ruled the former president ineligible. >> when we looked at the weight of evidence, it became clear that the january 6th was an attack not only on the capitol, on government officials, but also an attack on the rule of law. >> abc news contributor john katko, a former republican congressman who bucked his own party to impeach trump following

january sixth, disagreed with the ruling. >> it seems downright un-american and quite frankly, i'm not a big fan of president trump. >> the decision follows a similar ruling in colorado, which has been stayed until the u.s. supreme court makes the final call. trump spokesman stephen chung blasting the decision, saying we are witnessing in real time the attempted theft of an election and personally attacking the maine secretary of state, a democrat, as a leftist. overnight, california's secretary of state announced that trump would remain on the ballot despite calls from the lieutenant governor to remove him. it all underscores the divide, even in the democratic party, over this controversial issue, rachel bade abc news, washington. >> republican presidential hopeful nikki haley is facing backlash over how she answered a question about the civil war. it was during a town hall in new hampshire wednesday night. when asked what caused the civil war. haley never mentioned slavery rival ron desantis pounced on her response, as did president

biden. haley tried to clarify her answer during another appearance in new hampshire yesterday. >> of course, the civil war was about slavery. we know that that's unquestioned, always the case. we know the civil war was about slavery, but it was also more than that. it was about the freedoms of every individual >> the first contest of the presidential race is less than three weeks away. at the iowa caucuses. new hampshire's primary is january 23rd, and i hope these events don't deter other palestinians to still be proud of their identity. three palestinian students attacked possible targets of a hate crime. we are hearing from one of the survivors and a close encounter with a massive bear. >> what one man used to scare off the bear from under his home . but first, let's get a check on the weather with meteorologist drew tuma. good morning drew.

>> hey good morning gloria. 540 this morning and if you're out later this afternoon and evening , the rain gear is necessary. you want that strong umbrella because we'll have some gusty winds as we break down the 12 hour forecast. the winds start to ramp up later on this morning. by noon, those winds are gusting about 35mph at times. but we're really highlighting the afternoon because 4 p.m. it's not only windy, that is when the heaviestrillionain is going to start falling down. that's when we could have some flooding on our roadways. possible certainly along our coastline. and we'll keep those scattered showers in the forecast even through 8 p.m. we have a high surf advisory in effect, waves not as high as yesterday, but still active. we could see breakers up to 19ft along our coastline. in a wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. southern winds could gust as high as 45mph, so isolated power outages are possible. this morning. it's isolated light showers, some light drizzle. it's not too bad out there, but watch what happens this afternoon. you can see that line of heavy rain moves in towards

the afternoon and evening. so the storm concerns we have certainly flooding on our area. roadways is high coastal flooding because of that coastal flood advisory power outages are possible thanks to gusty winds and we will get some sierra snow out of the storm. a winter weather advisory is in effect. we'll go hour by hour in future weather. show you the rain and the wind once again and the details on that snow coming up in nine minutes. but we will be right back. >> this is abc 724 seven. >> in san francisco, live at levi's stadium in san jose. >> live in oakland. yeah. you're watching abc seven news live anytime, anywhere. >> where we are, we are we are, we are, we are we are where you are never miss a moment of the news that matters to you. >> download our abc seven bay area streaming app. join us and start watching

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the shooting in burlington, vermont on thanksgiving weekend is now being investigated as a possible hate crime. abc seven news reporter anser hassan talked with the student who is in the bay area visiting family for the holidays. >> i'm uh- doing okay regarding physical recovery, psychological recovery. it's very hard. >> it's been one month since kenan abdul hamid and his two friends survived a shooting thanksgiving weekend in burlington, vermont. and what may be a possible hate crime. dealing with the aftermath of the shooting has been tough. but, he adds, the war in gaza weighs even heavier. >> it's very hard to process the shooting when your psyches all really focused on what's happening in gaza and palestine. it's very hard to witness a blatant genocide in our modern times. >> kenan is visiting family in the bay area on break from college for the holidays. the night of the shooting, the three

were headed home speaking arabic wearing keffiyehs, the traditional palestinian scarf. when they were shot at close range. kenan had minor injuries, but his friend hisham awartani was left paralyzed. >> we're hoping he is charged the full extent of the law regarding a hate crime. >> the suspect, 48 year old jason eaton, faces three counts of attempted murder. kenan says the shooting demonstrates the rising anti-palestinian anti arab and anti-muslim sentiment across the country and the challenges the college students face. i always felt threatened on an intellectual level. >> sharing your truth, sharing your history, sharing what palestinians have experienced for 75 years of oppression could get you in trouble. you usually due to rash actions based on ignorance by others. kenan was born in the u.s, raised in occupied west bank, having experienced israeli occupation firsthand, he says he will likely remain in the u.s. after graduation. >> he believes in a two state solution, but thinks the chances

for that has been slipping away even before october 7th. >> i see the israeli state doing like it usually does and occupy territories against blatantly against internal law and continue to encroach onto the west bank. >> kenan knows the three of them are lucky to be alive. he says the path to healing will be long . he knows that what they wear and how they talk make them targets. but he says he's not going to hide who he is. >> i'm always going to represent palestine and i hope these events don't deter other palestinians to still be proud of their identity. >> anser hassan abc seven news. the holidays are a particularly tough time for anyone being treated at a hospital, especially children. >> but there is a local organization offering a unique way to lift the spirits of people getting medical care, and it's helping build a better bay area. one song, one patient at a time. look at this stuff. >> isn't it neat? >> wouldn't you think my

collection's complete, sweet, beautiful voice? >> oh, the nonprofit that connects performers like this one with patients is called harmony and healing. it was started by a friend of abc seven's dan ashley. david victor toured with boston as a guitarist and singer, and now he's using his talents to bring musicians to local hospitals. >> that must be really meaningful in a different way when you can take them back to, as you say, a time when they felt great. >> that's the thing with harmony and healing. you know, we're doing music for hospital patients, hospice patients, you know, people in a, you know, a really profound times of their lives and, and, you know, unfortunately, many cases, it's some of the last times of their lives. so to be able to bring music to them in those moments is just it's profound and spiritual and, you know, it brings tears to your eyes. i mean, it's so moving for, um, everyone, even if you want to help musicians perform for bay

area hospital and hospice patients, just go to the website harmony and healing.org. >> what a wonderful program. i know, i love that well, as we approach another holiday weekend , the debate seems to be especially fierce this year. >> how long should you keep your holiday decorations up? abc news reporter trevor ault tackles the issue in today's gma first look in this morning's gma first look. >> the great holiday decoration debate. >> what i'm selling christmas pajamas. leave your tray alone. >> do you leave it all up to ring in the new year? >> you know what? we need to take down this decorations. because i am over all of this clutter. >> or get it out the door before 2024. just taking down my christmas decorations on december 26th. >> make me a grinch. >> christmas was just four days ago, but a lot of tiktok users are already starting to take their decorations down. take tory breen, a mother of two who says she likes to start the new year fresh. >> it just gives us more space. i can have my home back. >> of course, for others like

tiffany kanengiser, it's far too soon. >> you know, we spend so much time putting them up and the kids, i think are a really great reason to keep them up for as long as possible. >> so coming up at 7 a.m, should you keep your decorations up through the new year with your gma first look? i'm trevor ault, abc news, new york. >> it is personal preference. i agree with you right. if you but if you have a live tree it does become a fire hazard. >> that part it gets very dry. yeah. >> i'm just saying my husband when i first met him, it was like april, not april, but his tree up. >> it's an easter time. >> well, you notice that you do notice that like in march of you'll still see trees on the curbside and you're like, oh wow, wait, i know, but if you have a fake tree, then it's, you know, then it's a fake tree. >> it's personal preference. >> april is funny to. yeah. >> now, did you judge him when you walked in there? you were like, yeah, okay. >> yes. of course i said, are you going to put easter ornaments on that spring tree? >> uh- i have a fake tree. and

my husband's like january 2nd. it's over all coming down. >> i agree with that. i think right after new year take it down. >> yeah okay, fine. >> you know, fresh start. you're ready for 20-24 this morning. it is light rain out there. it's the afternoon. the evening we're really highlighting. want to get you prepared because we'll have heavy rain moving through. this is a level three strong storm on the abc seven storm impact scale . not only heavy rain, we have gusty winds developing over the next several hours. we still have rough surf along our coastline that could lead to some flooding. we have a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon and with that heavy rain we could see some roadway flooding as well. here's live doppler seven along with satellite low pressure here. spinning, pushing this cold front into northern california. later today you can see that stream of moisture that will bring about heavy rain this afternoon and this evening. this morning, though, it's just pockets of drizzle, some light showers out there. you may encounter some mist from time to time, but the heavier rain will hold off until the second half of our day. here's future weather. you can see we're in and out of the light showers this morning, and then into the

afternoon. we'll start to see some of those heavier pockets move in. it's later on this evening, six 7:08 p.m, when future weather is showing you those deep oranges, even some bright red that is heavy rain that will cross the region. that could bring about some roadway flooding later on today. rainfall estimates. you can see a lot of areas have a good shot of getting close to, if not exceeding an inch of rain over the next 24 hours. a wind advisory in effect until 7 p.m. because winds out of the south could gust as high as 45mph, and that could lead to some isolated power outages. a winter weather advisory in effect around tahoe. above 6000ft, we could see 4 to 8in of snow overnight into saturday. here's the accuweather seven day forecast a level three stormy afternoon and evening today. scattered showers for saturday morning before we dry out saturday night, leading to a cloudy but dry new year's eve. a bright start to the new year before more rain moves in next wednesday. sue good morning. >> we do have slick roads this morning and a couple of solo spin outs to prove that it is very dangerous. so relatively light. you can see on the golden gate bridge approaching the

golden gate bridge, though from the 19th avenue tunnel, we had a car spun out. it is facing the wrong way and there are people outside that car. it is blocking a lane and very dangerous. you can see how dark it is out. very dangerous situation and over towards daly city. just cleared northbound highway one onto north to 80. another solo spin out that was blocking a lane that's now been cleared. but extra caution this morning, ladies. >> good reminder. thank you so much sue. new at six. be a time traveler for the unique but very expensive way that you can celebrate the new year twice. >> first though, barack obama's favorite movies of 2023. we'll show you which blockbusters made the former president's ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems.

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so far. >> oppenheimer made the list, coming in at number four, but the block buster barbie did not. obama's top three movies were ruston, lee, the girl behind and american symphony. all three produced by his production company higher ground. he and michelle. he says all films on his list reflect the hard work of the writers and the actors who went on strike this year, saying their action, quote led to important changes that will transform the industry for the better. >> and a homeowner had a very close encounter with a large bear to get it to leave his south lake tahoe home. the man used a paintball gun to go underneath the home and then look at that push the bear out. now he warns that others not try this without years of training and experience. first, he says the bear is just fine and will find another safer spot for the winter. but i worry about that. bear with a paintball gun. >> i'm worried about this man.

>> are you worried about it? yeah, i don't know. i care about the poor bear. look at that huge bear. >> good thing he's okay, though. >> yeah, there's a lot going on there, right? >> it's a lot to unpack. it's a lot. >> choose one thing. here's live doppler seven this morning. we have mist and light showers out there, but we're anticipating heavier rain later on this afternoon. this evening a coastal flood advisory is in effect right around noon when we have high tide, we could see some coastal flooding. winds are breezy along the coast. a wind advisory until 7 p.m, or winds could go as high as 45mph. really? focus on the afternoon and the evening. that's when the rain is heaviest. we could see some pockets of flooding. it's a level three strong storm on the storm impact scale. >> kumasi i'm still not over the bear. >> i know a moment. >> okay, new at six, a massive recall impacting a bay area company. the blenders that are now pulled from stores shelves, and the new action from spirit airlines after a six year old was accidentally put on the wrong plane and flown to the wrong airport. it then we are taking a closer look at the tumultuous, tumultuous turnover

of the oakland police chief job then we are looking for you. we are the peace corps. with volunteers in more than 60 countries. living together. working together. transforming lives. together. join us.

now at six. breaking news out of oakland, a major police presence along the embarcadero in 8-80. we are live with what we're learning. >> the danger is currents and waves up and down the california coast. at least eight people taken to the hospital in ventura

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