escalating today, right outside the arena. at the entrance where most of the delegates come into the arena every day, this afternoon there was some tension, some violence and we found ourselves right in the middle of it. this is what happened after a protester tried to burn an american flag in the streets just outside of the rnc in cleveland. that prompted this response from police. some in heavy riot gear and used pepper spray and there were scuffles and some injuries and several arrests. the man who tried to burn the flag was arrested. a cleveland police spokesperson explained why. >> we have a law against open burning in the city of cleveland and that would be consideringed open burning. it is not about the flag, it is about open burping. >> we have $20 hats. >> reporter: a half a block from the demonstration, these are the

sounds that greet delegates most of the time. ♪ [ music playing ] >> reporter: street musicians and vendors hocking their goods. even with today's incident, chief williams told us things have been nonviolent at the half way point of the convention. >> pretty calm so far. >> it has. folks are out here to exercise their constitutional rights and we're here to protect them. >> reporter: and in the end two police officers suffered minor injuries and three arrests, three times more than there have been up until to point. and the show in the arena is going on and started on time. we're hearing from -- florida governor -- we're hearing from the florida governor as we speak. many big-name speakers on tap for tonight, some of them formerly bitter rivals of donald

trump. we'll have more tonight on abc 7 news at 6:00. live in cleveland, laura anthony, abc 7 news. >> marco rubio among them. thank you. a long-time trump staff writer is taking the blame for melania trump's convention speech controversy. mir dig mciver took responsibility for lifting part of michelle obama 2008 democratic convention speech and called it a mistake and mrs. trump knew where the passages came from. trump refused to accept her offer to resign. it comes a day after the trump campaign manager denied the allegations and blamed the controversy on hillary clinton's campaign. a southern california artist is not hiding his distaste for donald trump. plastic jesus placed a wall around his star on the hollywood walk of fame and comes with keep out signs and raiser wire and

with the motto, stop making stupid people famous. >> keep track right here on abc 7 news. reggie aqui and laura thanthony are in cleveland covering the convention this week and the democratic convention next week and watch your voice, your voight with in-depth coverage at 7:00 right after abc 7 news at 6:00. tonight activists have chained themselves to the doors outside of the oakland police officers association. they will remain there for 24 hours. they want the city to take money away from the police department and allocate it to funds that help improve african-american communities. >> 50% of the funds from the police department to go to communities, to go to different health services in our community, to help with youth programs and creating jobs for black folk here in oakland. >> the activists say they could stay longer than 24 hours if their requests are ignored.

well things are improving at bay area airports right now. although it looks like we have some live coverage here of a grass fire and this is in cord elia right now. as you could see. this is along the highway here. and it is burning along i-680 and lopes road and you could see that it looks at this point that there is not a big fire fighting effort going on as we speak. >> we're looking at information tweeted by the solano county fire department and they say this is a second alarm vegetation fire and growing fast and only two acres but you could see the smoke rising from the area in the dixon area and of course it is very, very dry due to the weather conditions we've had. so certainly you want to avoid the freeway area driving past there if you could. >> and if we zoom back out,

we'll see what the impact is on traffic conditions because we're in the late afternoon rush hour situation and -- the cars have been stopped on the right-hand side of the road. it is hard to tell if there is a fire-fighting unit there that has stopped the traffic. i can't tell you whether they are getting any water on that at this point or whether it is just burning. the good news is we don't see any property nearby that would be impacted by this. so i would think it would just be a matter of time before they are able to get this thing under control. but no homes threatened immediately as we speak. and it is the only impact would be to the traffic and those people obviously not getting around that. you see the flames there as we zoom back in. >> definitely follow us on abc 7 news bay area on twitter for the very latest information on the breaking fire. in the meantime, we do have other news to bring you. >> things are improving at bay area airports right now after a computer glitch grounded all southwest airlines flights today for a couple of hours.

let's check in with leslie brinkley who is live at oakland international with the story. leslie? >> reporter: still a mess here. i just talked to a guy curbside who is giving up on southwest airlines today. he is jumping in a car to drive to a wedding in reno instead of waiting it out. another couple leaving because they've given up as well. i looked at the board in the airport for arrivals and departures a little while ago, half of the flights delayed by two or more hours and others are canceled and baggage lines are very long here. it is a mess and it is all because of a computer glitch earlier today. at san jose airport, all outbound flights were grounded starting around 12:30 because of a computer glitch. the same at oakland where kiosks malfunctioned and there was no way to print a boarding pass or check a bag. but 2:00, the line at the curb was 100 people deep. >> they told us that the systems were down and then they told us that the systems were down

nationwide. so i called my sister who is waiting for a plane in las vegas and told her to go check in early. >> all of the systems were down so we can't get the boarding passes. >> you couldn't check a bag. >> right. can't check a bag. >> reporter: it was a tough two-hour wait for this mom traveling with five kids and ten bags. by 2:00 the southwest computers started working again. but that didn't diminish the lines and the delayed flights. many of them off by two hours or more. >> i don't have wings so i can't fly. >> so you are stuck in line. >> i'm stuck in line and you just make the best tv. >> it paid to pack patience. leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. a man arguing with his mother caused a head-on crash. the crash closed down the rona park expressway near sonoma state university for more than four hours last night. he was in the passenger seat of his mother's mustang when during an argument he grabbed the steering wheel and forcing his mother to hit the side of another car and then slamming

head on into a redwood tree. police say moss was on drugs at the time. he went to the hospital with critical injuries. his mother and the driver of the other car had minor injuries. the fire treated the video and pictures we're showing you right now. moss is charged with a felony dui. good news now for a lot of people in san francisco. represents are dropping and the vacancy rate is up. abc 7 news reporter vic lee is live in the newsroom with that story. >> reporter: it is hard to believe, but apparently it is true. san francisco still has the highest rents in the bay area. the average rental for a one bedro bedroom runs from $2,700 to $3,500 a month, but if you are looking for an apartment, now is the time to rent. sam arrived from seattle three days ago. he's got a job here and now he and his friend are apartment hunting. he is shocked. the rents are still high, but not out of reach. >> the news story that i've seen

is san francisco, largest housing market -- worse than new york. >> but his timing is impeccable. >> we've noticed the rental market over the past few months, that rents have been dropping across the board. >> reporter: jeannine heads the san francisco appointment association. >> especially in the higher-end market, the larger market where apartments were going for $8,000 or $10,000, there is a high vacancy in those. >> this 13 unit luxury apartment building in soma just opened up with construction and high-end apartments are competing for tenants and this leasing agent seeing a softening in the lower-end rentals. >> studios below $2,500 or the one-bedroom around $3,200, we're feeling a softening of generally around 5% or 10% or so. >> housing is a commodity. the law of demand and supply applies. >> companies have been

consolidating and moving and developing out as the city -- >> the hiring is very slowing down and it is not halted and there is new inventory coming on the market. >> reporter: those in the business tell us we are seeing a construction from the super high represen -- rents. is it good news? depends on who you are. a landlord or a renter. >> blazing a trail in the valley. a different kind of venture capital firm could significant nat a big change for female entrepreneurs. and a massive renovation comes to an end. inside one of the bay area oldest theaters to see history reborn. and scientist climb one california sequoia at a time turning into modern day johnny apple seeds. how amazon peeks into the future, perhaps r

there is a big development in the breaking news in the north bay. the chp has shut down all lanes of interstate 680 in cord elia near lopes road and you could see why. sky 7 hd is live over the grass fire that is putting out the smoke. three-alarm fire, making it dangerous to drive and not to mention flames popping up near the freeway. that is certainly a dangerous situation for drivers. mutual aid has been requested. no word yet how this fire started or when the freeway will reopen. good thing is you don't see homes in the area. >> no, but the concern here is that you could look at where the smoke is coming from, on the far side of the ridge and also in the median so i'm guessing that the particles are dropping down the air and you have the possibility of eruption all over the place and that is a concern as you get this under control and we'll keep you posted in the

newscast and laster on on abc 7 news at 6:00 and on twitter. happening now, the maine and congress woman pelosi are expected at a ribbon cutting in the bay view neighborhood. carol carolyn tyler joins us live. carolyn? >> reporter: the entertainment has begun for what promised to be quite a celebration. nancy pelosi sent federal money this way. the mayor sent some city money to gave the bayview opera house a multi-million dollar make over. the opera house is san francisco's oldest, built in 1888. when, as the sign indicates, this neighborhood was the southern edge of the city. back then there was more vaudeville than opera and there were numerous art classes for kids and a community meeting space. >> it has such a history with

the community. people call it their opera house. people feel very, very invested in it. >> reporter: in 2014, after years of talk, the historic landmark began a nearly $6 million renovation. it was seismically upgraded, water-proofed and now meets accessibility requirements. outside there is a new walkway, stage and garden. >> the theme was definitely accessibility, physical and also to the community and safety. >> by lowering and taking down the fences -- >> yvonne is providing some of her famous cookies for tonight's ribbon-cutting and expects the opera house to continue the role as a hub. >> where everyone can come, whether they are new to the neighborhood, or people that have been long-time residents of the neighborhood. >> reporter: the bay view opera house opened september 17th.

carolyn tyler. abc 7 news. a popular food that could be part of your summer barbecue is being recalled. >> michael finney has what you need to know to keep your family and friends safe this summer. >> get this. 186 tons of hot dogs and corn dogs from bar s are being recalled for possible listeria. the recall just began being sold in the stores last week. the one-pound bag, of franks and 12 ounce bags with chicken and pork added have expiration date of october 11th and 10th and the eight-pack of pick five corn dogs and bar s corn dogs both have expiration dates of april 6, 2017, with no reported illnesses related to this recall. amazon has its eyes on the future and pushes ahead with plans to develop a delivery system using unmanned drones. the plan not jet legal using a

docking station attached to light poles and other high places to laufnch the drones. when they become low on power, they land on the nearest docking station to recharge. it is similar to sky catch out of san francisco, we showed you this last year. under this system drones would return to the ground station to get a new battery. macy's is working on a way toent answer -- to answer your in-store questions without a sales person. it has an app designed to answer common questions from customers. initially the app will focus on telling people where to find certain products. the app is currently available for use in just ten stores nationwide. none here in the bay area. larry and kristen. >> the app is just like you. answering everybody's questions. >> thank you. in the south bay, a unique competition is bringing together female entrepreneurs from around the globe all hoping to raise

capital for their companies. chris nguyen is live in santa clara with this story. >> reporter: the organizers of this competition say only 2% of venture capital goes to start-ups with female ceos so they hope to change that connecting these entrepreneurs to the key players here in silicon valley. in front of a packed house, entrepreneurs pitch their product to venture capitalists. santa clara alum diane kang is co-founder of brian ify and one of the first at the summit in santa clara. >> we take user behavior and align it against time and show your interest at this very moment is this rather than your overall enterest. >> and imagine shank tank geared toward female businesses. >> we want to see how many female founders are out there that could find out about us and apply and what is the quality of

them and we were blown away by the caliber. >> reporter: competitors had to go through multiple competitions in china and singapore to make it to the final round. she was chosen from among 600 applicants. >> it is a competitive environment. we all exist in different sectors so it is a great environment to work together. >> and nick chang started a company called the pill club. >> it is like dollar shave club for bridge control. so we make it easy for women to gain access to contraception so they don't have to go to the pharmacy every month. >> vc firms with more than $13 billion under management and local investor zuckerberg was one of them. >> it is very inspiring to see people building the future that we're all going to experience one day. >> a great opportunity for these early-stage start-ups to raise capital. in silicon valley. chris nguyen, abc 7 news. let's get a check of the forecast now. >> definitely feels warmer

today. so we're on our way up, right? >> that is right. it is warmer today. and that trend is going to continue. we're going to kick it up a notch this weekend when it gets hot. behind me it is bright and sunny. a little bit of a breeze. let's check out live doppler 7 hd and talk about the heat that is coxing your way for the -- coming your way for the upcoming weekend. live 7 hd showing fog along the coast but a shallow layer so not expected to move into the inland valleys. right now gusty at sfo, 29 miles per hour and 21 at mountain view and a live look from the sutro tower camera where we are showing you canning around san francisco to show you the sunshine over the city. it is not like that everywhere. parts of san francisco dealing with the fog. 60 degrees in san francisco. 68 in oakland. in the 70s from mountain view to san jose. morgan hill at 86. a live look from the east bay hills camera and this is a little bouncy because of the breeze. low 80s in santa rosa. 77 in napa. almost 90 degrees in fairfield and concord. we did manage to get up to the

low 90s in a few spots and upper 50s at the coast. this is where you might want to go this weekend. people have the right idea. santa cruz, they are enjoying mild weather now. it will get hot inland and the coast might be a good place to go. foggy coast and bay overnight. much warmir days for the end of the week and triple-digits inland over the weekend. tomorrow morning, upper 40s to mid-50s. fog will be confined to the coast and parts of the bay so watch out. it could be dense in pockets. tonight you'll notice 11:00 p.m., the fog around the beaches and expands a little bit along the coastline and locally inland but it will sit there at noontime along the coast and the rest of will you enjoy sun but by 4:00 p.m. the fog layer shrinks and that sets the stage for the friday warm-up that follows. tomorrow 88 in antioch, 85 in livermore. 75 oakland. san francisco 64 degrees. 80 in san jose and napa. 75 in san rafael. 82 in santa rosa. upper 50s to upper 80s tomorrow.

we warm it up on friday. we crank the heat over the weekend. upper 90s to low 100s inland. notice monday through wednesday, the heat doesn't back off. temperatures will still be in the mid to upper 90s range. our sun microclimate and the coastal highs in the 60s. so at least we have something for everyone. it is not hot everywhere. kristen and larry. >> vary ate. thank you. mapping the human brain. the number of new areas we've never seen before. that is next. and then at 5:30 on world news with david muir. >> breaking now, the major airline grounding flights and hundreds of passengers effected. the police officer killed and the police chief and more talks. and melania trump's words wore from michelle obama's speech and we'll explain why. >> and new at 6:00, a # on your side travel warning. the bay area worm that found out

the

people in the phoenix area are cleaning up from a powerful dust storm. look at this wall of dust that blew over casa grande yesterday evening. authorities blamed the poor visibility for accidents on local roads. and a wild past couple of days. weatherwise around phoenix, check out this video on monday when a monsoon dumped heavy rain on the area. and strong winds knocked out power to thousands. wind gusts were reported at up to 50 miles per hour in some areas. a team of arborists are cloning the california sequoias and redwoods to combat climate change. a team from michigan collected genetic samples an they take the tissue and put it in the ground and create a miniature 3000-year-old tree. that is amazing. researchers say the state trees have great genetics and ideal for absorbing greenhouse gases

during climate -- or driving climate change. but one biologist from berkeley is skeptical saying planting a limited number of trees is unlikely to cool our warming planet. into researchers have created a mind-blowing new brain map. it divides the brain's cortex into 180 unique regions of which 97 have never been identified before. scientists look at how neurons light up in response to stimuli, what looks like a page from a coloring book how some areas play larger roles in seeing and hearing and feeling and no big chunks dedicated to one task. scientists come bind a century's worth of research. >> i'm not sure it will take that long to map my brain. and most of the producers here would agree. not anybody could just crack crab and command the cameras to do it. the

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, we'll update the grass fire that shut down i-680 in solano. we just got word that one lane in each direction reopened about one minute ago. >> so they are making progress into also back live to the republican national convention and examining the impact tomorrow's speech by a gay silicon valley conservative might have on the gop. and find out how four new lanes could really make a difference on one of the bay area's most overcrowded

freeways. it is all coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. fast cars and slow crabs. they converged today in san francisco. >> abc # news was at fisherman's wharf when the biggest name in hot rods took a stab at cracking crab. force has the most wins in drag racing history. and you know what, he'll have to beat out his two daughters, though, to notch his first win this year. >> mom doesn't like to see me beat them but at my age, i have 16 championships, i want more. >> force is 67 years old but says he is not ready to call it quits just yet. the national hot rod association nationals will take place from july 29th to the 31st at sonoma raceway. that is always fun and the speed is unbelievable. >> yeah. >> world news tonight with david muir is coming up next. i'm kristen zse. >> and i'm larry beil.

for all of us here at abc 7 news, thanks for your time. tonight, donald trump . returns to cleveland, hovering above in his helicopter. his wife, melania, not with him. and donald trump is one-on-one with us. the interview just moments ago with george. and tonight here, trump's running mate, his big moment. and their new explanation tonight for melania trump's speech. they say the lines were, in fact, from michelle obama's speech. and now, they explain why. also breaking tonight, the major airline grounding its planes. major disruptions, hundreds of flights, amid dangerous heat now moving in across a huge part of this country. it could feel as hot at 115 or more. the new case tonight, a police officer killed in the line of duty. the police chief talking. the attorney general, too. the warning tonight, after a young driver smashes into an officer's car. he was playing "pokemon