breaking news at six a prisoner swap between the u.s. and russia will bring americans evan gershkovich and paul whelan

home. >> we've got all the details, the latest details in the exchange involving more than 20 people. >> i didn't know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. so i don't know, is she indian or is she black? >> former president trump falsely questioning the race of the current vice president during a sit down with black journalists. the fallout this morning from that appearance and the reaction it's getting from both parties, then marathon mishap, the san francisco runners who found out the finish line wasn't actually the finish line. somebody getting fired. i don't know if they are, but not good. if beyonce says she was going to fire someone over lights, then yeah, it seems plausible someone could be fired for not measuring correctly. good morning on this thursday, august 1st, we're going to start with a check of our weather. >> let's see a pretty picture outside okay, so sutro tower is showing you a couple of things. what we have is certainly our marine layer. see all that widespread cloud cover down below and then up above. we have

cirrus clouds this morning streaming in from the south. so once we get rid of the fog this morning, we'll keep partly cloudy conditions, but warmer weather will arrive later on today. right now, temperatures around the bay shoreline mid 50s to the mid 60s. good morning castro valley coming in at 56 degrees. a wider view will show you we have some chilly spots in the north bay, upper 40s to the lower 50s. right now in parts of sonoma county, inland east bay, though we're in the low 60s from livermore to brentwood. so today, inland, it's even warmer than we were yesterday. we'll get those temperatures into the mid and upper 90s for daytime highs. under those partly cloudy skies around the bay shoreline. once we deplete the fog, we'll keep some high, thin cirrus clouds up above partly cloudy and temperatures in the mid and upper 70s and then along the coast. we'll keep it foggy pretty much all day long. some coastal drizzle right now. temperatures staying in the low and mid 60s. let's check in with sue and see those drive times this morning. >> good morning drew. good morning everyone. we had an earlier fatal accident involving a big rig on the east shore freeway. this is 80 westbound

just at ashby avenue. the two right lanes are blocked. actually they just here's an update. they just opened one of the right lanes. so the very far right lane or lane number five is still blocked. you can see the tow truck is on scene to try to get this big rig out of the way. apparently we're getting reports that there was an accident at about 341 this morning and a passenger driver pulled over and got out of his vehicle to apparently assist with clearing the roadway past the big rig. and that person is now deceased. so it's a very unfortunate situation. again, the right lane remains blocked 8-80 westbound. you are backed up now through albany into richmond. you can see it's already one of the busiest sections of the freeway in the entire bay area. 580 is also starting to back up as it merges onto 80 westbound guys, sue. >> thank you. breaking news this

morning, journalist evan gershkovich and former us marine paul whelan are being released from prison in russia. abc news confirms the men are among 24 people being released as part of a prisoner swap organized between the u.s. and four other nato allies. it's the largest multi-country prisoner swap since the cold war. we're still learning the details of this deal. abc news is reporting several u.s. allies are likely involved. >> what more do we know about those conversations behind the scenes between the u.s. and russia and the other countries that perhaps could be involved in this? >> yeah, i suspect this is something that does involve many of our allies as well. but as you said, this has been an incredibly long time coming. this is something that we have heard the president speak out forcefully about speaking out in defense, of course, of evan and of paul whelan. so i suspect that this has taken a lot, a lot of tense negotiations behind the scenes. we don't know the details yet of what went into

this, but we can report right now that evan gershkovich and paul whelan, you know, according to a senior administration official, are part of this prison transfer and are expected to be soon, they hope, in u.s. custody. >> we still don't know who the us agreed to trade for the men new this morning. >> at least one person died overnight in a single crash in walnut creek. video shows the car turned over after it hit a utility pole near businesses. authorities remained on scene overnight as crews worked on surrounding utility poles. it happened on ignacio valley road, cross street near the walnut creek financial plaza voice, your vote. former president trump is dealing with the fallout over his remarks about vice president kamala harris racial identity. >> the vp slammed his comments as divisive and disrespectful. abc news reporter em nguyen has details on trump's combative interview that is sparking backlash this morning. >> former president trump facing blowback after questioning vice

president kamala harris's race, falsely claiming that harris didn't always identify with her black heritage. >> she was always of indian heritage, and she was only promoting indian heritage. i didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. >> harris is the daughter of an indian mother and a black father from jamaica. trump, making the allegation at the national association of black journalists convention in chicago, where he also doubled down on his pledge to pardon those convicted in the january 6th attack on the capitol. >> oh, absolutely. i would. they were convicted by a very, very tough system. >> harris in houston last night, reacting to trump's comments about her racial identity. >> it was the same old show. the divisiveness and the disrespect. and let me just say, the american people deserve better, while also reminding the audience about what's at stake in november. in this moment, we

face a choice between two very different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past. >> also last night, trump returned to pennsylvania for the first time since the assassination attempt in that state, claiming he didn't even know harris's name until recently. >> i mean, two weeks ago, i was talking about biden. i didn't even know her name. nobody did. kamala. hello, beautiful. >> even though earlier in the day he had said this, i've known her a long time. >> indirectly, not directly, very much. >> trump was also asked if j.d. vance as vice president would be ready on day one to take over the presidency. he did not answer the question, only saying he respects vance and that vp candidates don't usually make a difference in the election. and when abc news washington. >> the city of san francisco's

aggressive campaign to clear homeless encampments continues. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez joins us live in the city. gloria, we're getting a closer look at this process. >> yes, reggie and the majority of unhoused people who were offered shelter earlier this week have refused it. take a look at these numbers right here. data from the san francisco healthy streets operation center shows a total of 41 people were contacted on monday, and tuesday. all were offered shelter, but 34 of those people refused. that is 82%. abc seven news was at 19th and folsom yesterday. tens had returned less than 24 hours after city workers moved. people who are unhoused from the area. the city's healthy streets operation team says one reason people declined shelter is that in many cases, it's not the type of shelter they want, for example, a single room or a hotel room. the work has ramped up following a recent supreme court ruling and executive order from governor newsom, directing

state agencies on how to remove homeless encampments. >> despite the supreme court ruling, the ninth circuit vacating the majority of the injunction. our approach and our work has not really changed as of yet. so we do 72 hour noticing of the ten locations that we address per week. >> when you're outside, like all you have is your belongings. so to lose that is a trauma in such a way. and what's being documented on video is like it's happening with a lack of dignity and consideration. >> that's a member on the city's homelessness oversight commission who calls the sweeps inhumane. but the city says they are not and that their approach is compassionate. live in san francisco, gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> gloria, thank you. today, parking restrictions begin to take effect on a san francisco

street filled with rv dwellers. this is winston drive near lake merced. sfmta says parking control officers will begin sighting illegally parked rvs and campers. the city last year voted to implement a four hour parking limit along winston drive and buckingham way, where many of those campers are located. city officials say they would not begin enforcement until they found suitable housing for the dozens of families living in those rvs. >> new developments the park fire is now burning across four counties in butte, plumas, shasta and tehama. it's burned more than 391,000 acres since it began over a week ago. crews have gained 18% containment. nearly 440 buildings have been destroyed and 42 are damaged. you can keep track of the fires burning across the state with our abc seven california wildfire tracker. it gives you a full picture of the fires and the smoke across the state. it's right on the front page at abc seven news.com. >> and reggie, let's talk about that smoke in our air quality

current air quality data. we are good. look at all those green dots overhead. we have fresh air but it's a different story of course near the park fire. right now it's located right here. we have a moderate to unhealthy air quality. and now some of that smoke is moving down into lake tahoe this morning. so around tahoe we have moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups. and that smoke will remain there over the next 24 hours. just keep that in mind if you're heading to tahoe today or tomorrow. here's the smoke forecast. that onshore flow keeps it out of the bay area, but we're still tracking a lot of smoke around tahoe the next 24 hours, and certainly some hazardous conditions near the fire. but again, here locally we have good air quality right now at okay, it is 59 degrees currently with a west wind at seven miles per hour. the forecast today calls for 68 in the city with partial sunshine, 74 with morning clouds in oakland warm and partly cloudy in san jose at 8592. in walnut creek this afternoon. this high pressure is getting closer to us bringing that warming trend, but it's also bringing us some high clouds throughout the afternoon,

today, tomorrow into saturday, we'll see some of that cloud cover move in to our east. there's that chance of thunderstorms in the sierra tomorrow and into saturday. so today it's a warmer afternoon, partly cloudy out there. we'll preview that weekend forecast coming up in about seven minutes. >> thanks for coming up. thrill seekers. rejoice. you can soon go to three of the bay area's best theme parks, with just one pass and encouraging people to get out and about in oakland, the free entertainment that city leaders can boost foot traffic for local businesses. plus the event honoring transgender history a team can help you plan for your dreams. so your dream car, and vacation home, may be closer than you think. ready to meet the dream team? you can with wells fargo.

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debate democrat adam schiff, two times before election day. the debate will be put on by abc stations, including our station, and this will be held in los angeles. the other will be in sacramento. final dates haven't been set yet. both candidates are running for the seat currently occupied by laphonza butler, who replaced the late dianne feinstein. a hayward business that's been making some iconic candy bars for more than 70 years is closing its doors for good. annabelle's candy company is behind some candy that is sure to spark nostalgia, especially if you're of a certain age like rocky road, big hunk abba-zaba. the chronicle reports the decision to close is due to increasing costs and the need for investments. the news came as a shock to its employees. >> we're calling name by name. you need to sign this paper

because we closed the company. wow. we expected that one because supposedly we are on the schedule next this week to work. >> according to the chronicle, annabelle's candy brands will now be made at the company's other facilities. we're following up on the story about the oakland bookstore that was destroyed by a fire this week. east bay booksellers have been operating on college avenue for decades before tuesday morning's fire. when we spoke to the owner that morning, he told abc7 news he was too overwhelmed to even think about the future of his shop. well, now, a little hope for him in just under 48 hours. a gofundme has raised nearly $120,000 of the $200,000 goal set by the account. we have a link to it at abc seven news.com if you want to help out. >> happening today a transgender flag raising ceremony will be held for san francisco's third transgender history month. the city's office of transgender initiatives will put on the event. mayor london breed, state senator scott wiener and

transgender initiatives director honey mahogany will be there. it begins at noon at city hall. >> today is the deadline for cal shakes to reach its fundraising goal. california shakespeare theater says if they don't raise $350,000 by today, they may be forced to close and call off their production of as you like it. the group has a gofundme, but as you can see, it is not close to the goal. to support them, go to cal shakespeare. org we also have a link on our website abc seven news.com. >> hundreds of runners who took part in last weekend's san francisco marathon are disappointed after finding out the finish line they crossed wasn't actually the finish line. organizers sent runners an email explaining one of the half marathon courses was miscalculated. instead of the course being 13.1 miles, it was actually 12.6 miles. now, some runners are asking for some form of compensation. they say this marathon is one of the most expensive races, with the $230

registration fee. one runner says she knew something was off when she saw the mile markers. >> i got cheated from that experience because i did spend a couple of miles just mentally being like, what's going on? who do i listen to? what pace do i follow? do i look at my watch a lot to track? >> organizers tell abc seven news the certification map was drawn incorrectly, and the mile markers were added based on that map. >> goodbye. >> yikes. >> well, you know, you have one job, >> and that is to measure the course. >> yeah, it wasn't us. it was the map. >> and a half mile is a half mile. i mean, even though you've already run 13, whatever it is, that's that's that's. yeah. yeah. gotcha >> runners do not mess around. no, they're really not the ones. >> we got it right here. >> they want the seconds. they want the mileage. right. >> so. >> right. i wondered that they know, like once the first person crossed that finish line and, like, why am i 12.5? they're like, now, if it were me, i

would have been like, i'm like, what a great time. i did it. let's hit brunch. we got boston shape. >> like, don't tell me that you got it wrong, right? >> right, right, right. just just be quiet. it's okay. you did really good. you're really fast this morning. we'll take you to our east bay hills camera, where we have a lot of fog down below, and we're going to see a pretty foggy morning leading to a partly cloudy afternoon. so get that walk that run in throughout the next couple of hours. close to the coast. it is pretty cloudy even around the bay shoreline. we have some drizzle by 9 a.m. we're starting to see some hints of sunshine, and then we'll find partly cloudy skies into the afternoon. but look how gradual that warming trend is throughout the morning. it's pretty slow, so highs in our microclimates. it's a mild start to august in the south bay will be in the 80s and 90s. so it is warmer than yesterday up the peninsula 83 in redwood city, 76 in palo alto, but quite foggy along the coast. we'll keep it only at 65 for pacifica. it's breezy today across the city quite cloudy right now. we'll find some

sunshine downtown close to noon, but we'll keep it pretty cloudy for daly city. the richmond district, the sunset as well in the 60s for daytime highs in the north bay, it's turning partly cloudy today. 90 in santa rosa. so we're getting warmer than yesterday. 95 in cloverdale, 89 in novato. the same in vallejo, about 85 in napa, the east bay. today it's partly cloudy after morning fog 72. berkeley up to 75. in san leandro, 80 castro valley, fremont up to 79. and then inland. we are starting to get hot out there with temperatures well into the 90s this afternoon. now, overnight tonight we will have those clouds returning. we'll have coastal drizzle overnight lows mid 50s to the mid 60s. now heading into friday it's pretty similar to today. we'll have a wide range of temperatures inland. will be in the mid 90s maybe a few degrees warmer on saturday saturday is the warmer of the two days this weekend, but both days are looking fantastic. now the broader picture over the weekend we are tracking the threat of some lightning strikes to our east and to our north as some monsoonal moisture moves in from the four corners tomorrow to our

east, and then saturday to our north, we'll be on the lookout for some thunderstorms. those could spark some new fires. that's the concern we have to our north and to our east. here locally, we don't have that concern. here's the accuweather seven day forecast a mild start to august. today a little change tomorrow. getting hotter inland on saturday. slightly cooler here on sunday. but then we're heating up again early next week. sue. >> all right drew, we've got some good news. first up, this earlier fatal accident on 80 westbound has been cleared. you can see though the damage is done. we have a solid backup of traffic on 80 westbound. it is beginning to recover. we'll take a look at the camera here. we've got this big rig that was off to the shoulder and another accident behind it. so traffic is now flowing and we do have reports that the metering lights were turned on at 612. a little bit later this morning. 612. so better news that fatal accident finally cleared, damage is done, and a new report of an accident, this one in san jose, southbound 880 near bascom, blocking lanes

of traffic as well. more on that when we come back. >> thank you sue. now we bring in ginger zee with a look at what's happening on gma. >> yeah good morning ginger. >> hi reggie. amanda it's nice to be with everyone. so coming up here on a thursday we'll start with the race for the white house. and vice president harris responding after donald trump questioned her racial identity. our rachel scott was right there asking the former president the questions, including his answers there, about what he said about jd vance and january 6th and what we know about the plea deal reached with three men who plotted the nine over 11 attacks, including the accused mastermind, and the reaction from some of the victims families this morning. also, the alarming new study on cancer and young people what you can do to reduce your risk. the ceo of the american cancer society is here, and the never before heard recordings of hollywood legend elizabeth taylor, only on gma. and that's not all. carrie underwood with a huge announcement. and we got one more. the cast of the tony award winning best musical, moulin rouge is here live. you'll see

it all on gma. >> that's exciting. so i think that jojo is in moulin rouge now. yes. right. >> okay, yes i have and she is performing. >> oh, she is incredible. >> i have to admit something really embarrassing when i first saw that. >> so do i. >> okay, well, i'll do mine first. when i first saw that jojo. >> oh, no. it's going to be the same thing. >> oh, is it gonna be the same thing? did you think it was jojo siwa? >> okay, i sure did. okay. me too. >> throughout the entire morning after samantha told me that it was jojo, i was like, what a strange casting. i mean, sure, maybe this is going to, you kno, like, i was really perplexed throughout the three hours of me really. and then when she came on, i'm like, that's not jojo siwa. >> i am so happy that you that we are on the same wavelength. >> and i'm sorry that we didn't communicate before this moment, because i could have saved you the embarrassment that i already had. it's in fact jojo. as in leave, get out right now. it's that jojo, not the that one.

>> my goodness. >> oh my god, jojo, wake up! yeah! yes! yeah >> so anyway, you know what? i'm glad too. i can't wait to call samantha and tell her because this is huge. >> it is huge. >> we learn and we grow, but also jojo siwa and moulin rouge. it's not. no, you know, like with that dancing. >> maybe it's just i was i was like, why hadn't i heard of this already? >> and also, i'm not sure. and like, is she going to bring some of the siwa action or is there a new doll like all of it went through my head. >> yeah, i think the answer was we would have seen memes by now. that's the answer for everything. currently yeah, ginger, we'll see you and the other jojo. >> see you then on gma. >> we'll when your child has moderate-to-severe eczema, it's okay to for them to show off. show off their clearer skin and noticeably less itch with dupixent.

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behind every second of game-changing performance there's a lifetime of dedication. cancer and death for firefighters. supervisors say the san francisco fire department lost more than 300 of its firefighters to cancer in less than 20 years. the board unanimously voted to put the measure before voters nearly one week after fire chief janine

nicholson announced her retirement. she cited, quote, unforeseen medical issues. new at six the money you pay for some bay area theme parks is going to go a long way starting next year. six flags just introduced a new pass to all of its parks. it's called the all park passport. this comes after the company merged with cedar fair, which operates great america in santa clara. that means you'll be able to get into great america, six flags, discovery kingdom and hurricane harbor with the same pass. no word yet on how much it will cost. next, at 630. applications open today. if you want to go to a uc campus next fall, those schools are set to welcome their most diverse class yet, and the controversial plea deal for three men who plotted the 9/11 attacks, families of victims with a negative

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(vo) with wells fargo premier, a team can help you plan for your dreams. so your dream car, and vacation home, may be closer than you think. ready to meet the dream team? you can with wells fargo. majority of unhoused people refuse to move to alternative shelter. this week during san francisco's homeless weeks, many people forced to leave just came back to the same place a day later, and iran and hezbollah, contemplating their next moves after attacks in beirut and one

that killed a top hamas official. plus, do you want eye with that taco bell expanding the use of artificial intelligence at its drive thrus? >> good morning everyone. it is thursday, august 1st. >> it's a new day. >> it is. did you read the bottom? it said something to taco about taco bell. taco bell. i appreciate that whoever wrote that, i like that about it. >> august first i still love my taco bell. >> oh, your rent is due. thank you for the reminder. >> i need that monthly reminder. i got to do it this morning. we will find a pretty picture from our tam cam. we have a couple of layers of clouds out there. we have that stratus deck of marine layer, that fog we had this morning for a lot of us. and then once we get rid of that fog, we have some partly cloudy skies up above those high clouds. that's some monsoonal moisture streaming in from the south. we have no threat of thunderstorms or anything like that. it just will add some partly cloudy skies to our day today. temperatures right now, some 40s on the board in our coolest spots in the north bay. mid 50s to the mid 60s. as you look around the bay shoreline.

so highs today inland. we're actually going even hotter than we were yesterday. partly cloudy throughout the day. those temperatures mid and upper 90s for daytime. highs around the bay shoreline. we have that fog right now. we'll burn that fog off closer to 11 a.m. then we turn partly cloudy. those daytime highs a little bit warmer than yesterday in the mid and upper 70s. but along the coast that marine layer is going to hang tight pretty much all day long. look at all that fog. we have coastal drizzle as well. daytime highs in the low and mid 60s. let's check in with sue and see those drive times this morning. >> good morning. we have got better news for the east shore freeway earlier. fatal accident involving a big rig gone out of lanes. the heavy traffic does remain and metering lights are on. 612 this morning at the bay bridge toll plaza. starting to back up. here's a look at the remaining backup from that earlier accident. that's now cleared all the way through and into richmond, and we head to san jose with another big rig accident blocking a couple of lanes southbound 880 near

bascom, as well. and we will take a look at your drive time. there we go from the central valley just under an hour by about ten minutes, 51 minutes and san rafael looking great all the way to the city across the golden gate, south on 101 and highway four westbound is starting to bunch up a little bit into concord. >> thank you. sue breaking news journalist evan gershkovich and former us marine paul whelan are being released from prison in russia. abc news confirms the men are among 24 people that are part of a prisoner swap organized between the us and four other nato allies. it's the largest multi-country prisoner swap since the cold war. gershkovich was arrested by russian authorities in march of 2023 on espionage charges. he was just convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. earlier that last month. whelan was arrested in december of 2018 and also accused of espionage. he was convicted on the charges in june of 2020 and sentenced to 16

years in prison. the us government has denied the charges made against both men. it isn't known who the us agreed to trade for them. abc news is working to learn more about the swap and we'll have more info throughout the day. >> developing from san francisco, the homeless sweeps continue just a few weeks after the governor ordered them to resume, but many unhoused people are not taking the offer for alternative shelter. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez joins us live from san francisco. gloria >> reporter good morning, amanda. some are calling these sweeps inhumane, but the city says they are not that their approach is compassionate. check out this footage right here. you'll see the tents are back. this is on 19th and folsom in san francisco. less than 24 hours since city workers moved homeless individuals from their. ramon castillo is unhoused. he says his tent was taken away on tuesday. he was arrested and cited for illegal lodging and then released. san francisco's public works and members of the

department of emergency management offered him a hotel room, but he declined it. >> i'll be okay. i mean, that's temporary. you know, i mean, it happened to me too many times, but this one is different thing. >> castillo is not alone. the majority of unhoused people offer shelter early this week have refused it. data from san francisco's healthy streets operation center shows a total of 41 people were contacted on monday and tuesday. all were offered shelter, but 34 of those people refused. that is 82%. but the city's healthy streets operation team says they are seeing progress, and that behavior change takes time, and the city said they would follow up with ramon and offer him shelter again. live in san francisco gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> gloria, thank you. a woman is

asking a pet owner to come forward after her dog was mauled to death by another dog in san francisco. this is papaya. her owner, olga, says a dog walker took papaya to the alemany dog park tuesday morning. a few hours later, olga got a call saying papaya was in critical condition at the vet's office after another dog attacked her. that dog owner left right after it happened. >> it's so hard to believe. like i walked, i walked inside my house and all our things are there and she's not. she's just such a smart, spunky little dog. and it's just. it would be such a like. it's such a horrible end, but like, it's even worse if we just don't know what happened. >> olga filed a statement with police and was waiting for an officer to file a report. when we spoke with them, the president of the entire university of california system is stepping down at the end of this upcoming school year. >> michael drake announced the news on social media yesterday after five years of leading the state's university system. he says he's trying to leave this

institution in better shape than it was before. he oversaw the uc system and made growing enrollment the pandemic. and then massive protests. drake is 74 years old and plans to retire. closing out a 50 year career in higher education. hey hey ho ho. >> been a tough go. hey hey ho ho. >> dozens of workers pushing back at uc san francisco over their contract contract covering thousands of patient care workers is expiring. and they say the university of california system is not addressing the rising cost of living. and housing in negotiations. the union says they are now at an impasse. a spokesperson for the uc system says historic wage increases have been offered and that it is bargaining in good faith application applications open today to university of california schools for fall 2025. >> this fall, the uc system will welcome its largest and most diverse class ever across its ten campuses. the university

says the number of first year students admitted from underrepresented groups has grown by nearly 2800 students. that's up by 1.2% from last year. >> they know that if you can put people into a college community where there's a diverse exchange of ideas, where people might be a little bit out of their comfort zone, that is one of the most fundamental benefits of higher education. >> applications for next fall open at nine this morning. >> developing news iran's supreme leader has ordered a direct attack on israel in retaliation for the assassination of hamas leader ismail haniyeh. according to the new york times, the supreme leader issued the order during an emergency meeting yesterday, but the report did not say how or when a strike would be carried out. no one has claimed responsibility for the killing, but iran and hamas blame israel. delta united have suspended flights to tel aviv after that assassination. united says it's evaluating next steps and will

make decisions on resuming service, with a focus on safety for customers and crew. delta says it's monitoring the security environment and assessing operations based on guidance and intelligence reports. no trial and no death penalty. >> that's what the mastermind and coconspirators of the 911 attacks will get in a plea deal. and it isn't sitting well with some of the families of those killed on that day. in a letter to victims families, khalid sheikh mohammed, who was captured in 2003 along with two others, have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charges. that includes the murder of 2976 people. all three are held in guantanamo bay, where they're expected to remain for the rest of their lives. >> what happened today was khalid sheikh mohammed and the other two that pled out. they have a victory today, and i don't think we ever should have given them any type of victory. >> the biden administration says it played no role in the plea

agreement. >> i had sex abc announcing a new judge on american idol. and it's definitely someone you'll recognize. >> and you are looking live at the big board at the new york stock exchange. you can see we're up about 174 points. another update on how the markets are doing next. >> then what could get taxed to help raise money for muni here in san francisco? first, here's drew. >> hey, 640 this morning we'll start out with our okay camera live. look pretty gray out there. very similar to the past couple of mornings. current conditions right now showing you 59 degrees with those overcast skies. just a light breeze out of the west at seven miles per hour. the forecast today we're warming up even more away from the coast. we'll hit 92 in walnut creek today, which is a little bit warmer than yesterday. 85 and partly cloudy in san jose. morning clouds to sun and oakland at 74. some partial sunshine across the city today. we'll hit about 68 degrees for a daytime high. here's live doppler seven along with satellite. the story we're tracking this morning. high pressure over texas right now is slowly inching closer to us, supplying us with a warming

trend. the next couple of days, we are watching some of this moisture. you see wrapping around it. some of that is going to move into california over the next couple of days to our east and to our north. tomorrow and saturday. there is the threat of dry lightning here locally. we don't have that threat. we'll just see some high clouds moving in from time to time. here's that moisture moving in from the south. you'll notice that in the form of clouds here, but a chance of a thunderstorm even around tahoe tomorrow and saturday. today it's all about fog to partly cloudy skies. we'll hit the mid 90s inland, 70s and 80s around the bay shoreline, 60s along the coast

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this is the greatest team ever! (♪) (♪) in downtown. the city is offering free entertainment from music to fitness classes every tuesday, wednesday and thursday. the goal is to boost foot traffic for local businesses that are struggling with oakland's office vacancy rate hovering around 20%, each individual business doesn't have to do as much marketing, so they don't have to spend as much of their money on those kinds of expenses, because you've got people just naturally walking around. more than 70 shops and restaurants are also offering special deals to drum up business. one is even offering a discount after a quick game of rock, paper scissors with the staff.

>> we're learning more about the biden administration's plan to wipe out student debt for 30 million borrowers. if you have student loans, expect to get an email from the department of education. it will lay out options on how you could have some of some of or all of your debt canceled this fall. there are two ways to qualify one. if you've been paying back your loans for more than two decades two if you have what they call runaway interest, i think the number of borrowers are going to benefit the most are the borrowers whose balances are higher now than when they first went into repayment. >> you know, for example, if you originally borrowed $30,000 and you've been in repayment for a few years, and today you owe 40,000, you would stand to probably get that extra 10,000 forgiven. >> if you don't know if this applies to you, log in to studentaid.gov. if the lender is the department of education, then you will potentially qualify. there is no application and you don't need to take any action. >> if you take an uber or lyft

or waymo ride in san francisco, it may eventually cost you more. the city is asking voters to approve a new tax on ride hailing companies to shore up muni's finances. a bill was just qualified for november's ballot. officials say the community transit act would raise 20 to $30 million annually. the money would come at a critical time for muni in april, the agency told abc7 news it's facing a $12.7 million deficit over the next two years. muni has threatened to cut service if it's not able to close its budget gaps. >> you might be able to contribute to scientific research at yellowstone national park, the usgs and the park service are trying to figure out more about a hydrothermal explosion that happened in biscuit basin, july 23rd. who could forget this video? they say people who were there at the time could have valuable information to share. so if you happen to be on vacation in that area july 16th to the 23rd, you're asked to send in photos or videos to the park service. you can find more information on

yellowstone's website. i assume it's of the explosion and not just you like holding a peace sign in front of the falls, but anyway, i'm sure those will be submitted to. >> yeah, your drive through experience at one fast food chain may soon change. taco bell says it's expanding the use of ai voice technology to hundreds of locations. by the end of the year, the technology is already at 100. taco bell's in 13 states. its parent company says it has had to train its ai model to understand the correct and incorrect pronunciation of some items, like quesadilla. taco bell says the technology has led to better ordering accuracy, happier employees, and shorter drive through wait times. >> although if you hear it's a quesadilla, then you know what you're dealing with now for your morning money report. interest rates could soon be coming down, just not now. that was the fed's decision yesterday that could start lowering interest rates during their they could start i should say lowering interest rates during their next meeting in september. the fed says

inflation has been kept in check this summer. but it wants to make sure that the decline is sustained before actually cutting rates. currently, interest rates are at 5.5%. that is a 23 year high. analysts expect several rate cuts this year. the cost of oj continues to go up. the department of agriculture says it's because of citrus greening, which is the disease caused by bacteria. officials say it's the most serious threat to the citrus industry that we've ever seen. manufacturers are considering using alternative fruits like mandarins instead of oranges, and now taking a live look at the new york stock exchange as trading gets underway. this morning, you can see that we're up about 85 points. >> one of the most successful winners of american idol is heading back to the show this time as a judge. >> i went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show. >> the winner is carrie underwood. >> i'm proud of everything that i was able to accomplish on the

show, and i'm so proud of everything that i've accomplished since. >> carrie underwood will replace katy perry at the judges table. nearly 20 years after she launched her career on the show. >> she will join luke bryan and lionel richie, along with host ryan seacrest when the show returns to abc in the spring. of course, you can catch her tomorrow performing on gma for their summer concert series as well. >> okay, i like having a lum's because it's a very few people know what it's like to go through this process, she can really shepherd these people through it. give them good advice. yeah, you know, i'm here for i believe it's been 20 years, right? i still vividly remember kelly clarkson. yeah, i was just going to say vividly because my high school teacher was like, no homework tonight. we got to watch to see who wins. we're voting. we're watching to see who wins this. and i was like, oh, and you really had to call in, get a text, pay attention, cingular wireless. when i was a thing, i want kelly

clarkson to be yeah, she would be the ultimate. yeah. >> she's got so much going on though. i know, but busy. >> well, so does ryan seacrest. >> yeah, she's doing a lot. ryan seacrest is so busy. that's true. well, her collect a check. yeah, that would be very. >> carrie will be good. her and carrie on the same table. that would be fascinating. all right. outside this morning we are looking at sutro tower. it is foggy. we're starting out with our morning marine layer on this first day of august. once we get rid of the fog, sunshine does await us with partly cloudy conditions. so looking at today's forecast inland, it's warmer than yesterday. we'll get those daytime highs into the mid if not upper 90s later on this afternoon. now on the bay shoreline it's pretty foggy. we have some drizzle post 9 a.m. we'll find increasing sunshine get you into the mid 70s there later on this afternoon. and then of course along the coast we will keep it pretty cloudy all day long. some pockets of drizzle right now. some low visibility leads to temperatures in the lower 60s for daytime highs, so highs in microclimates, a mild start to august today 80s and 90s in the south bay. 82in cupertino, 92 and gilroy up the peninsula will keep it cloudy and cool along

the coast. 61 for half moon bay, but 83 in redwood city, 75 in mountain view. pretty foggy this morning in the city. some partial clearing downtown, but we'll keep it pretty cloudy close to the ocean. daytime highs are in the 60s in the north bay. 88 san rafael, but 90 in calistoga. we'll go to 88 in sonoma as the fair gets underway here today. 89 in vallejo, the east bay. partly cloudy this afternoon. 72 berkeley warmer than yesterday, 74 in oakland, 79 in fremont and then inland. it's getting hot. 97 in brentwood, 95 in pittsburg, about 90 in pleasanton. overnight tonight we will find our marine layer coming right on back. we'll see some coastal drizzle as well. these are the green dots you see on your screen. so it's kind of a rinse. and repeat sky overnight tonight we'll have temperatures in the mid 50s to the mid 60s. now tomorrow. and into saturday we will have some monsoonal moisture working through california to our east tomorrow. that does include lake tahoe and to our north on saturday. there is the chance of dry lightning. that's something we'll watch very closely because our

vegetation is dry and that could spark some new fires. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. it's a mild start to august. today little change tomorrow. hotter inland on saturday with slightly cooler weather on sunday. but we're heating right back up next week. sue. >> good morning. we are headed to san jose where we have an accident reported on 880 south, right at 101. that's 101 coming to the towards your screen with those headlights and 880 crossing uh- traffic is moving nicely here. we'll take a look at our maps here in just a second. earlier fatal accident on the east shore freeway near ashby that's been cleared out of lanes. the damage is done, though. you've got a solid backup into richmond. and here's the accident. southbound 880 near bascom. that's one accident. two lanes blocked. it's a big rig involved. and then i am seeing some slow traffic on the other accident. southbound 880 near 101. so, just a heads up and a quick look at your drive times. 680 headed to walnut creek from concord. it's looking great. or from hercules, i should say highway 24. walnut creek all the way

through and into oakland. and 580. that's your long one, tracy. up and over the altamont into dublin. pleasanton now just under an hour. all right, sue, thank you so much. >> an exhibit in san jose is celebrating the rich culture of lowriders in the south bay. it's called forever cruising cultura de lowriders. they have books, magazines and photos documenting the evolution of lowrider culture. and there are model cars showing off the craftsmanship and creativity that goes into it all. >> i love celebrating the culture because i feel like it doesn't get the recognition that it's supposed to be getting. i feel like people see the car but not understand what it means in the history behind it, and the cultural expressions and how they had to fight to even be able to drive down the street. >> and you can find the exhibit on the fifth floor of the mlk library at san jose state university until september 15th. there will be a reception this saturday to meet the artists and community behind it. well, up next, the seven things you need

to know today and a reminder you can watch all of our newscasts live and on demand through the abc seven bay area connected tv app. >> that's for apple tv, google tv, amazon fire tv, and roku. just download the app now, you can start streaming, and as we head to break a live look outside, the time now is 654. >> this is abc 724 >> in san francisco, live at levi's stadium in san jose. live in oakland. >> yeah, you're watching abc seven news live anytime, anywhere. 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

expected to be in u.s. custody soon after being released from prison in russia. abc news confirms the men are part of a

prisoner swap organized between the u.s. and four other nato allies. >> number two in san francisco, encampment sweeps are expected to continue. data provided by the city shows 82% of the people offered shelter during sweeps on monday and tuesday refused it. >> number three, a critical deadline for cal shakes. theater leaders say if they can't raise $350,000 by today, they may have to close and cancel their upcoming production. we checked overnight. they still need a lot of help, and you can donate at cal shakes.org. >> number four. today is opening day for the sonoma county fair. gates open every day at noon. the fair runs through august 11th at the sonoma county events center in santa rosa. >> it will be in the 80s and 90s for the fair today, but this morning a live look outside. this is our golden gate bridge camera. you can see quite a lot of fog. it's been that pattern all week, so we'll have overcast skies early on this morning. we are tracking pockets of drizzle along the coast and around the bay shoreline. we'll see that sunshine break down past 10 a.m, but we will have partly cloudy

skies this afternoon. despite that, by 4 p.m. we are looking at a warmer afternoon compared to yesterday. our warming trend continues for the rest of the week, so you'll get your highs today. inland will be in the mid if not upper 90s in our warmest areas around the bay shoreline. we'll stay in the 70s and 80s 74 in oakland, 85 in san jose, 60s along the coast. we'll hit 68 in the city today, but everybody above average for this time of the year. >> and number six, following your thursday morning drive, this is 101. the headlights headed towards you. and 880 at the overcrossing with an accident reported just south on 101 in san jose. we'll take a look here. there you go. two accidents southbound, 880 near bascom. and there's the other one near 101. >> all right. number seven, pumpkin spice latte fans rejoice. starbucks fall menu has leaked online, and it appears the beloved psl is returning august 22nd this year. we're also getting some apple crisp flavored drinks, a pumpkin cream

cheese muffin, and a baked apple croissant. >> this is drew touma's day. >> yeah, three weeks from today. come at me. i know it's very basic, but it puts me in the fall spirit. there you go. you know, august 22nd. >> that apple crisp, though. >> yeah. they have a couple new cold drinks out there. so if it's still pretty warm in september. yeah you can still delight. congratulations. thank you so much. >> i can taste the artificial flavor. i know i know, you know what though? >> give me all the pumpkin or the pumpkin adjacent. yeah, the pumpkin tangential. i don't know, whatever it is. >> abc seven and seven streams next. otherwise you're watching gma >> whit: good morning america. u.s. and russia prisoner exchange including wall street journal reporter evan