and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message. hello, i'm kate snow. zinhle essamuah is on assignment today. "nbc news daily" starts right now. today, thursday, february 29, 2024.

dueling messages. president biden and former president trump making separate appearances at the southern border today. what they each hope to spotlight on an issue that is affecting cities nationwide. the balance, the supreme court agrees to hear donald trump's election interference case. how the arguments and timeline could impact the race for the white house. boiling point. dozens of civilians reportedly killed after hamas says the israeli military opened fire on palestinians waiting for aid in gaza. what we know about the incident as the death poll crosses another depressing mile tone. and fighting the flames. the smokehouse creek fire exploding to the largest wildfire in texas history. the urgency to contain any of it before high winds make conditions worse. happy leap day to you out there. we begin with president biden and former president trump in texas today. president biden is in brownsville, texas. former president trump is in

eagle pass. the dueling visits are highlighting immigration, which has become a top campaign issue. today a federal judge blocked a new texas law that would have allowed state police to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. it was supposed to take effect on tuesday. the judge ruled that only the federal government can enforce immigration laws. dasha burns is in eagle pass for us. let's start with the former president. he's coming to where you in texas. he just arrived a short time ago. what is he saying about his visit? >> well, look, this is going to be a day about contrast and about messaging. both the current and former president will be on offense against one another. we'll hear from president biden talking about the fact that he does believe this is an important issue. you've seen some of the poll numbers showing that both democrats and republicans, americans at large are frustrated with his response on immigration. he's coming down here to say i

see you, i hear you, this is critical for our country, for all of our states and cities impacted by this. he will be pointing to the fact that he did help negotiate a bipartisan border deal, that he reached across the aisle. that democrats made a lot of concessions for republicans and it was going to be something that even the border patrol here supported. but it was because of republicans and he will point the finger at former president trump, it was former president trump who tanked that deal. he'll be here spotlighting that and messaging that to the electorate that he's trying to win over. >> tell me more about former president trump who is coming to where you are and what he has planned today. >> former president trump will be contrasting his policies during his first administration with what's going on under the biden white house right now. we know eagle pass is a specific place he's coming to because this is where the federal versus

state standoff is, this has become the epicenter of that. this is where governor abbott deployed thousands of national guard troops at the border. he installed razor wire, those floating, spiked barricades that he put on the rio grande river, all of that is happening right here in the eagle pass area. former president trump has accepted -- the last time he was here is in november when he accepted the endorsement of governor abbott. he will be touting what he did during his first administration and how he wants to reinstate some of those same policies and expand them. he's talked recently on the campaign trail about having the largest deportation operation in history, using national guard troops in states like texas, sending them in to uncooperative states to deport people. this is a candidate looking to dramatically what he did on

immigration in his first term. >> dasha burns, thank you. the supreme court has agreed to decide whether former president donald trump is immune from prosecution in special counsel jack smith's federal election interference case. the fact that the supreme court is taking trump's incommunity argument up is a win for the president. it will delay any trial likely and trump has been trying to delay the start of the trial until after election day. joining me now is garrett haake and nbc news legal analyst, danny cevallos is here. what do you know about the move and how this could play out? >> even if this is delayed, it's helpful to him legally and politically. the course says they will hear oral arguments in the case on

april 22nd. that's long after he will probably lock up the nomination and it means a trial, if at all, would not start until late in the calendar year. it's possible we won't see a trial or a conviction or any verdict before voters render their verdict in the case. that helps donald trump legally. politically it allows him to extend the argument that much further, that he's being unfairly targeted and he's already been aggressively fund-raising off this development and the fact that he and his attorneys will be in front of the supreme court that he helped create with three justices he appointed as president sitting in judgment. >> garrett haake, thank you. so, danny, what does this mean if you're the special prosecutor trying to bring this case? >> it may seem like a big win for trump but it wasn't a total victory. the court did give jack smith a little of what he wanted. he said, hey, take this

petition, this request to hear the case -- or take this request for a stay and treat it like a request to hear the case. treat is like a petition for the court to hear the case. that is all it is, it's a petition to the court, you have the discretion to accept or reject this case. please hear it. jack smith says this request to hold the lower court, it has all the information, does anyone really not understand the issues at this point? just treat this like trump's formal request and they did that. that does cut down on the time somewhat. to those who say this has extended the time such that trump may not be tried before the election, pretty good analysis. >> pretty good odds. just the fact that the supreme court is taking this up, it has said, yes, we'll look at this. does that tell us anything?

does that mean that they want to do a certain thing? they want to protect president trump, for example? >> let me give you context. there were academics that thought the supreme court might not take this case because you had a district court opinion and a d.c. circuit court opinion that covered all the bases. the supreme court could have rejected this case altogether. some may say the reason they're -- why else would you take this case up unless you're planning to overturn is? you know, the reasoning below is pretty sound. they say in their order this is not an opinion on the merits of the case itself. we're just hearing it. whether you take the supreme court at face value in that short order remains to be seen. there is a chance they may overturn the lower court's decision. >> meaning he would then be immune as the former president. and that would affect future presidents as well, right? >> it would affect this president, all his current cases and future presidents as well under these facts, not in all circumstances.

>> appreciate it. the alabama house of representatives passed legislation that would shield doctors who provide in-vitro fertilization services from lawsuits or criminal charges. it's in response to the supreme court's ruling that put the future of ivf in question. hundreds of patients and providers rallied yesterday urging lawmakers to do something to protect ivf services. >> this potentially could be a road map for other states to restrict access to ivf or a road map on how to protect access to ivf and family building. >> valerie castro has been following this. valerie, what protections does this bill that's passed the house include for families and providers? this was a republican-backed bill and introduced by terry collins yesterday. it would provide legal immunity in case of death or injury to an

embryo during ivf services. the bill was under debate on the senate floor. it is expected to pass and then it will make its way to the governor's desk for signature sometime next week. some democrats say this bill and another bill going through the senate and then the house, those bills don't address the ruling that started all of this, the issue of whether or not an embryo can be considered a child. >> separately on can toll hill, there's a federal bill proposed that would protect ivf at the federal level. it was blocked in the senate yet. why did that fail? >> yeah, that's right. that bill was introduced by senator tammy duckworth. she's been public about her own personal ivf journey. she went through that process and she has two children now as a result. she was hopeful this bill would guarantee access to ivf treatment and facilities without the fear of prosecution at the federal level. this was blocked by cindy

hyde-smith, she called it an overreach. >> the very people who claim to be defending family values are the ones trying to enact dispopian policies that would prevent americans from starting their own families. >> now, as for that alabama ruling, a poll out yesterday by axios said two-thirds of americans are against that alabama ivf ruling. they do not believe embryos should be considered a child. >> valerie castro, thank you. time for today's cnbc money minute. stellantis is recalling more than 300,000 jeeps for suspension problems and millennials are set to become the richest generation in history. julia, hi. >> hi, kate. the faa is giving boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to improve quality control. the action comes less than two months after door plug blew out of an alaska airlines 737 max-9

plane in mid-flight. a preliminary investigation found that bolts appeared to be missing. stellantis is recalling over 300,000 jeep grand cherokees over concerns about the front suspension where damaged bolts could cause drivers to lose control. millennials are about to become the wealthiest generation in history, according to the annual wealth report. the next 20 years, two of the older generations will pass on their assets, those born between 1981 and 1996. the millennial generation, that's a transfer of $90 trillion, it comes as a time when tight financial conditions kept millennials from buying homes or building savings. i wonder what they'll do with all that money other than buy housings? >> maybe that. thank you very much. coming up, ai on the trail. how one group is aiming to use the emerging technology to help

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across the texas pan pannedal. the largest is the smokehouse creek fire. it's the biggest ever in texas. this is it here. look at those flames. the smokehouse creek fire is only 3% contained according to the texas a&m forest service. morgan chesky is in fritch, texas. what are you seeing there? what's the latest from crews battling these fires? >> it's tough in every direction. fritch is affected by the wendy deuce fire, and the fire to the north of us is at 3% containment. the concern is now, kate, we did have a small snowstorm come this morning which a lot of people were excited to see because they thought it would help the firefight, but what's come with it after the snow has fallen is wind. that's a real concern right now because should it shift at all, it could open up a whole new

firefight here and resources are spread so thin across this vast portion of the panhandle, bigger than rhode island here. it's about having the right people at the right place and that's incredibly tough to do. driving to this scene today, it was surreal to see fields covered in snow but smell the smoke from yesterday's wildfire. that is helping in certain areas, but more windy weather is really causing a lot of concern for everyone here. nobody is breathing easy right now. >> morgan, give us a sense for what people are doing? this has got to upend lives there. i know it's not a heavily densely populated area, but what are you seeing and hearing? >> well, unfortunately we heard that this fire has taken a deadly turn. one woman has been confirmed killed as a result of the fire near canadian, that is the largest fire of these wildfires.

a tragic tale, she was inside her home when the fire struck and we heard from her son earlier today who explained what happened. take a listen. >> she was hearing impaired in one ear and generally slept on the good ear. if anyone pounded on the door, she would never have heard them. it was a bad situation there. >> very bad situation for so many people here in the texas panhandle. we do know that multiple shelters are opening to help some of those people evacuated from their homes and communities. the town of canadian is hit very hard. still waiting on damage totals there. >> thank you. a massive and dangerous winter storm is about to slam the west coast. here's a look at a ski resort in lake tahoe, california.

the national weather service is warning of life-threatening blizzard conditions and that travel in some mountain areas will be "extremely dangerous to impossible." let's bring in bill karins. he joins us now. bill, you know, looks nice at a ski resort but we're talking about one to two inches of snow per hour? >> easily. it may approach three to four inches per hour at times later tonight and tomorrow. being on those lift chairs in 60-mile-per-hour to 80-mile-per-hour winds will not be fun. let's show you what the road conditions are already looking like. we will play close attention to interstate 80. this is kingvale, a wet snow. we go up higher in elevation, it looks like the roads are closed here. i have not seen a vehicle go through donner summit in a while. that's where we expect five to ten feet of snow. we have watches and warnings

covering almost all of the higher elevations in the west. the blizzard warnings are in areas mostly of sierra, california and a little slice of nevada. in the blue is where the snow is coming down. a snow and mix of rain in northern areas. services snow totals go, this is five feet, this is eight feet. when you see the pink, that's up to eight feet from mammoth northward up to south lake tahoe. specifically on the highway, 7 to 10 feet around donner pass. crazy storm over the next three days. >> all right. bill kahi, i'm sally. i'm from phoenix, arizona. i'm a flight nurse on a helicopter that specializes in trauma. i've been doing flight nursing for 24 years. as you get older, your brain slows down and i had a fear that i wouldn't be able to keep up. i heard about prevagen from a friend. i read the clinical study on it and it had good reviews. i've been taking prevagen now for five years and it's really helped me stay sharp and present.

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if you can't afford your medication astrazeneca may be able to help. this is "the fast forward." i'm chris chmura. we will start with the weather. we enjoyed sunshine the past few days. we are watching the radar for rain to move in. >> you may notice light to spotty showers throughout the bay area and gloomy skies. take it hour by hour for you, lunchtime, pretty soggy through the north bay before this front pushes through to the heart of the bay by around 3:00, 4:00. that commute could be slick as you drive around the bay area freeways. it will move to the south bay, heavy at times with areas that you see in yellow. by dinner time it will continue.

spotty in early friday. behind that will be heavier downpours into late friday and into the early hours of saturday. we are talking about the potential of seeing low level snow around the bay area. i will talk about the rest of the outlook in 30 minutes. >> thanks very much. conditions are already tricky for people who want to drive to the sierra. bob redell is in dublin with the chp's warning. >> reporter: i just spoke with a chp florida in south lake tahoe. she said if you are thinking about going to the snow, her advice, don't. she says it's getting windy there. it's getting darker by the hour. they can see the storm coming. according to the national weather service, they are expecting extremely dangerous driving conditions. case in point, cal trans tweeted this out. they have a massive overturned

big rig which has shut down traffic along i-80. this is eastbound. they are turning people around. chp tweeted this out earlier. travel over the sierra's is discouraged over the next few days. travel will be extremely dangerous with blizzard conditions, whiteout conditions, 100 plus miles per hour, near zero visibility, long delays and road closures. >> i will be completely honest and completely blunt. if you don't have to travel, do not. skiing, snowboarding, sledding is not that important. your lives are way more important. we want you to be safe on the road. i don't think this weekend is going to be the one. if you can postpone those plans, i highly suggest you do. do not be on the road unless you really need to be. really, if you do, prepare ahead of time. >> reporter: if you plan on going to the snow, you want to practice putting on tire chains or cables at home before. if you haven't done that before.

it's not something you want to do for the first time when you got snow pelting you in the cold. if you have all wheel drive or four wheel drive, make sure your tires aren't bald. they will check. they will turn you around. pack warm clothes, water, food, in case you get stuck in your vehicle. don't pull over to play in the snow along i-80, highway 50 or along any other main roads. chp says that's dangerous, especially if other vehicles lose control and drive into you. here in dublin, bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> thanks. we are watching the weather. tenant rights advocates rallying in san francisco. the man accused in the half moon bay mass shooting appears in court. first, oakland is hosting a forum to discuss the search for its next police chief.

the commission released a short list. by the way, oakland's mayor is opting out of tonight's public forum. the man accused in the half moon bay shooting rampage pleaded not guilty. investigators accuse the 66-year-old of gunning down seven former co-workers at two mushroom farms where he worked. last year, he confessed to janelle wang during an interview. the next court date is april 19th. tenants rights advocates rallied outside the federal courthouse. that's the location of a hearing in a years long legal battle over eviction moratoriums. landlords argue eviction

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...for kung fu panda 4. jack black is back. ah, you're adorable. yah, whah! bottom of the hour now. here's some of the stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." a man was rescued two days after accidentally plunging 400 feet over a california cliffside. california highway patrol coastal division showed them lowering a rope down to the man

and lifting him up to the highway above. the man telling authorities he was driving home from work when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. authorities say the man appeared to be stable and suffered moderate injuries. tributes are pouring in for actor and comedian richard lewis who died of a heart attack who died tuesday night. lewis, best known for starring alongside larry david in curb your enthusiasm, in a social media post david paid tribute to his friend calling him the funniest and sweetest. jamie lee curtis credited him as the reason she's sober writing i'm forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone. rest in laughter, richard. lewis was 76 years old. there's an update to a story we brought you yesterday. john waters is pushing back on reports about a film project being developed based on his novel "liar mouth."

it was set to film in baltimore. waters told the baltimore banner he's producing his first film in about 20 years but it isn't far enough long to have a star or filming location attached. now overseas, the hamas-run gaza health ministry estimates more than 30,000 people have died in the war with israel. it also says about 70% of those deaths are women and children. next thursday marks six months since hamas's terror attack on israel and the start of the war. allison barber has been reporting from israel during the war and she joins me now on set. we have some breaking news from today. an incident happened near some aid convoy or some trucks bringing aid into northern gaza. >> reportedly about 30 aid trucks made their way into gaza city. this has been the heart of the

israeli military's operations in gaza since the war began. the idf says this is drone footage that shows the moments leading up to when a shooting akurred as team were gathering trying to get humanitarian aid. the trucks moved in at about 4:00 a.m. according to eyewitnesss at the scene, they say people were there, and this is more video of that area, they were waiting, trying to get aid when they say israeli troops opened fire on the group. one witness says people hid under vans, came back to get aid and israeli troops opened fire again. israel is claiming what happened is two different incidents. there was aid at the food trucks and there was a stampede and then the trucks started moving injuring people. and then another incident where a group of people approached israeli soldiers stationed sort of in a static position, that the israeli troops fired warning shots because they perceived a

threat, and the group continued to progress towards them and then opened fire. hamas, the palestinian authority's president, mahmoud abbas and other groups say this is an incident where israel intentionally fired into a grouping of civilians and over 100 people are dead and 700 injured. at the state department, that video we were showing, the drone footage, which doesn't show us a lot, when you look at this, you see a group of people rushing towards trucks, presumably those are the aid trucks, you don't see the moment where shots were fired or people get injured. that's something that matt miller at the state department just addressed. let's listen to what he had to say. if there's anything that the aerial footage of today's incident makes situation on the ground is. people need more food. they need more water. they need medicine and other humanitarian goods and they need it now. >> the u.n. has said a quarter of gaza's total population faces

starvation. this is an area where they had not gotten an aid truck in at least a month. that aid came in and people were desperately trying to get it. we don't know how and why those shots were fired. >> thank you very much. the russian american woman become held in russia appeared via video link this morning to appeal her detention. it comes as vladimir putin delivered a speech in moscow threatening the west with nuclear conflict if they intervened in ukraine. here is keir simmons. >> good day to you. the appeal was held this morning and she lost that appeal and she will remain in prison. the ballerina is accused of treason for donating money to ukraine, less than $52. the court set another deadline of april 6th. she is the latest u.s. citizen to be held in russia. journalist evan gershkovich has

been in custody for almost a year now, accused of espionage. the "wall street journal" says he is innocent and was doing his work as a reporter. at the same time, president putin giving a keynote speech highlighting recent advances in ukraine, though the battlefield there does remain largely unchanged saying he bows at the feet of russian heroes calling for a minute's silence for soldiers he said "are going through the meat grinder of war." his address shown on giant screens around moscow including a thinly veiled nuclear threat if nato puts troops on the ground in ukraine. he said we too have weapons that can strike on their territory. president putin is two weeks from an election saying today we are a pillar of democracy, though, of course, when russia votes next month there will only be one certain winner. >> thank you. a family in new mexico is suing their school after a

teacher allegedly brought swords to class and encouraged students to fight. the lawsuit claims it left a teenage girl scarred and seriously injured. steven romo has the story. >> reporter: shocking video showing albuquerque high school students sparring with real swords in the middle of a class. >> that's how you're supposed to use it, like this. >> reporter: and this wasn't teens going rogue, according to a new lawsuit filed by one student who was injured. their teacher announcing earlier on this day in june of 2022, that she had a surprise for the class. telling them to arrange their desks into a circle, handing one student a sword and the other a katana, and then instructing the students to fight as the two-minute timer counted down. shortly after the video was taken, one student allegedly slicing another student's wrist

with the katana-style sword, severing multiple nerves and tendons. >> the surgeon said when he was doing the repair, that he could feel where the sword indented in the bone. >> reporter: that student's family now suing the school district, the assistant principal and mitchell alleging as she bled in the classroom, the teacher did not seek immediate medical attention. instead telling student, quote, i'm in trouble. ordering them to delete any videos they have taken then attempted to call the school's medical office. >> the response is not what you would expect. it took about 30 minutes before anyone called 911. >> reporter: an accident report written by the assistant principal said the teacher brought a prop to school to show s a lesson on metal and melding, but responding paramedics said the sword appeared to be real. almost two years later, the lawsuit alleging the student is struggling to perform normal

tasks after surgery and extensive physical therapy. >> she's lost a lot of mobility and strength and sensation in her right hand and thumb. >> reporter: that teacher, mrs. mitchell, could not immediately be reached for comment, while albuquerque public schools declining to comment. now the student and her attorney seeking more information and damages. >> we want to know what aps actually did to investigate this and whether that report looks like it's trying to sweep this under the rug without a full investigation. >> reporter: steven romo, nbc news. >> thank you. when it comes to the 2024 campaign season, there's no question that artificial intelligence is already playing a role. at least one organization is using the technology to help make the work campaigns do every day cheaper and more efficient. morgan radford has more. >> this just in. >> reporter: it's been a political weapon and a political

issue. >> do you think the industry is mature enough to self-regulate? >> reporter: now one organization is embracing artificial intelligence as a political strategy. >> it's like you have a very, very smart, talented and fast assistant. >> reporter: tech for campaigns is using ai tools to generate digital ads and fund-raising emails, giving cash-strapped campaigns in tight races a high-tech edge over the competition. >> everything we do is ai-aided, which means a human puts in the request, puts in the context and edits it afterwards. it's not ai spitting out an email or an ad and a human is not looking at it. >> it's not hands off the wheel, the computer does its thing. >> yes. >> it's a strategy they first

tested in the virginia state house races in 2023. >> we did an experiment across 14 campaigns. we tested ai aided e-mail and what we found is that ai aided e-mails had about a three and a half to four and a half times increase in productivity versus the human only e-mails. >> when you say productivity, you guys can just get more marketing materials out there, more e-mails, more communication with voters faster. >> not just more, but better. what we measured was actually the dollars raised per work hour. it's not just about more. it's about can these be as good or better. >> now they're rolling out a new set of ai tools which they plan to use this election year to help democratic candidates across hundreds of races. so you pulled up top performing emails in the past. what happens now? >> you ask the tool to generate, in this case, i'll say two new email options based on what worked. >> there it is. it's working. is this an example of an e-mail? >> there's two options. it gives you a subject line and it does the body for you. >> wow. this looks like it was written by a real person. this looks specific. it gives a catchy subject line. and you did all this in less than a minute. >> oh, it did it in about 15

seconds, yeah. >> reporter: and it comes at a critical time. >> your vote makes a difference in november. >> reporter: earlier this year, the federal communications commission made ai-generated voices in robocalls illegal, and eight states have passed laws regulating ai in some form, which is why some democracy experts warn that any ai generated campaign material should be used with caution. >> the challenge is that this is early days for the technology. we don't fully understand it yet. ai makes mistakes. it can perpetuate biases that can be dangerous for the campaign. >> reporter: concerns, tech for campaign says they take seriously. >> i absolutely agree there are malicious uses of ai that can be used in elections and i am worried about that, but i'm also worried that we're not having a balanced conversation and that the party will get left behind on ai because they're leading from a place of fear.

>> a new kind of technology coming soon to a campaign near you. >> so interesting. thank you. up next, uncounted millions, dive nothing the decades long battle over reparations and how actions taken 150 years ago changed the course of history for one family. what do i see in peter dixon? i see my husband... the father of our girls. i see a public servant.

a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message. when peter dickson led my platoon into combat in afghanistan, he cared about two things: completing the mission, and making sure his marines came home.

and we all did. pete's always fought for what he believes in, and i know he'll do the same in congress for affordable housing, the rights of women, and the democracy he swore to protect. because helping people who need it has always been pete's mission. and i know he'll get it done. next generation veteran fund is responsible for the content of this ad.

this week, san francisco formally apologized to african americans and descendants for the city's role in discrimination and racism. it's the latest in an ongoing debate over reparations and how to compensate descendants of enslaved africans with some asking if more black families were given a lump some of money 150 years ago, how might things look differently now. tremaine lee looks at reparations in "uncounted millions: the power of reparations." tell us more. >> in the big conversation around reparations, many folks will be shocked to know once the government did pay reparations, but they paid it to enslavers but one man found a loophole. >> reporter: buried in the nation's capitol by the passage of time is one family's

extraordinary legacy, siblings adele and richard, are seeing for the first time a rare document that forever changed their family's fortunes. >> it was a revelation to us. >> reporter: the civil era war filing signed by their great, great, great grandfather, a free black man named gabriel coakley awarded him that something most descendants have never received, reparations for slavery. >> it's mind boggling. >> reporter: in the middle of the civil war, nearly a year before the emancipation proclamation, president lincoln signed the compensated aemancipation act of 1862, ending slavery in the district while also paying off d.c.'s white enslavers if they pledged loyally to the union. >> was an idea of abraham lincoln as a test to show there was a way to end slavery but also provide relief to those slave holders who were losing their property.

>> reporter: nearly 1,000 white enslavers got reparations, among them, some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in washington. people like francis preston blair sr., an adviser to president lincoln. their "property" were human beings, and those people, generations of whom had endured tortured servitude were offered nothing for all that they lost, unless they agreed to leave the country, even though by this time many of the enslaved people were born in america still not yet considered citizens. >> here's an opportunity to create a much more just society by providing newly emancipated people with the economic means to make freedom real and we just didn't do it. >> reporter: but gabriel coakley, already free and a business owner himself found a loophole. >> as a way of keeping the family together and keeping them safe, one member would gain their freedom and then purchase the others.

>> reporter: coakley had amazingly purchased the freedom of his sister, his wife and their six children to protect them legally, he never registered them as free people, so technically, they were still enslaved. >> states had laws saying if you gained your freedom, you had to either leave the state, pay a fine, or you were subject to whipping every six months. >> reporter: he applied for compensation and was awarded the equivalent of more than $170,000 at a time when 90% of black people in this country were still enslaved. >> he overcame so many obstacles to purchase his family and then to find resources to get reparations. >> reporter: the family line since has been marked by black excellence, scholars, doctors, activists, clergy, even a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom. >> this is a remarkable legacy that he left for us. who knows what we would have looked like as a family if he

wasn't able to get this accomplished. >> reporter: as they reflect on coakley's remarkable reparations story, his descendants wonder what could have been if all black people had gotten reparations after slavery. that big question of what could have been, we see it playing out in that family. it's not so easy for folks. the other side of the family line w were not privileged to get this money, they struggled like other black folks. >> it's an interesting story. you can listen to more of it, "uncouednt you'll find them in cities, towns and suburbs all across america. millions of americans who have medicare and medicaid but may be missing benefits they could really use. extra benefits they may be eligible to receive at no extra cost. and if you have medicare and medicaid, you may be able to get extra benefits, too, through a humana medicare advantage dual-eligible special needs plan. call now to see if there's a plan in your area and to see if

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yeah. nice. this is "the fast forward." i'm chris chmura live in the nbc bay area newsroom. we are watching the radar. just had a look at it. rain is moving closer to the bay area. we expect stormy weather for the next few days. >> we are seeing the arrival of the first couple of rounds of rain for today and into the weekend. today we will start off with mostly spotty showers, gustier winds and heavier rain friday night and saturday. the valley totals are one to two inches. coast and hills are going to see the majority of this activity, possibly four to five inches of rain. those low snow levels, the bay area ridges, could see about one to two inches of some light dusting of snow.

the next couple of days, we will be in for an active forecast throughout sunday. we could see breaking there in the rain sunday on into monday for our inland valleys. san francisco, cooler, wetter, and windier weekend ahead. >> keep it right here for the latest weather. san jose police say their fight against retail crime is working. the state gave the police department an $8 million grant last year. that paid a group of retired detectives to back up patrol officers. they are working part-time and bring years of experience to help catch retail thieves. the department says once they catch the thieves, a new law helps the d.a. fast track prosecutions. >> it's a unique standalone statute that carries with it at least up it a year in jail. depending on the value of the property taken, we can seek prison sentences as well. and we will. >> detectives briefed the county's lead retail theft

prosecutor yesterday. they work with other bay area cities to track and link thieves who cross city or county lines. hundreds of women are gathering for the fourth annual california conference for women at the santa clara convention center. our own kari hall moderated a discussion at the event. several other influential experts are leading workshops on issues like career advancement, workplace equity and work/life what do i see in peter dixon?

i see my husband... the father of our girls. i see a public servant. a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message. we are celebrating black heritage here at nbc bay area and telemundo 48. we are profiling some of the people and places that make our area so unique. look at this. a new exhibit shining a light on a small north bay community, marin city. felicia began leading student tours through her exhibit. it teaches about black workers who moved into marin city for

work in nearby shipyards during world war ii. when the war ended, they stayed. >> they contributed to america's history. they contributed to the war effort. they contributed to the social life. they also dealt with lots of discrimination. >> coming up tonight at 5:30, we get a tour. we will go into marin city's forgotten history. the force will soon be strong in the bay area. a new star wars movie will soon be filming here. it will be a feature length film. it will be the first film in the franchise to be shot entirely in california. knx radio reports production will be around marine county, san francisco and alameda

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