>> an abc 7 news legal analyst on what could become a nightmare for a woman who has been through a lot. a man accused of rape is getting ready to question his victim. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristen sze. the gone girl kidnapping that police initially called a hoax. >> melanie woodrow has the story. >> denise hoskins will come face to face with mueller again. he's representing himself. two counts of forcible rape, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment. in connection with the 2015 vallejo kidnapping. when huskins and her fiance take the stand during the preliminary hearing, muller will cross-examine them. saah san low county chief district attorney -- >> we're preparing as if the victims will be testifying. >> proposition 115 protects victims liekhus kins and quinn

from being revictimized. allowing hearsay testimony by law enforcement officials at preliminary hearings. subpoenas have been issued for law enforcement officials. however -- >> if the district attorney is subpoenaing or asking denise and aaron to be there as well, that's telling me the district attorney isn't so sure that law enforcement is going to show up or do a good job. let's hope this isn't another time when the law enforcement, the police department and fbi let denise and aaron down. >> they initially called the couple liars and said they made the whole thing up. because muller is representing himself and has a right to review all the evidence in the case, he will also be allowed to huskins' alleged two rapes. >> it's disgusting that he could watch a videotape of his own crime. but at the same time, we have something called the constitution allowing him to do it. >> on monday, muller pleaded not guilty to the new charges but said he'd be will to plead guilty if huskins and quinn

donated half their $2.5 million settlement to the innocence project. a group that works to exonerate those wrongly convicted. >> there will be no pleas in this case for what he is offering. that's absurd in my opinion. >> he's asking for a ransom yet again. quite frankly, they didn't pay it the first time and not going to pay it the second time. >> muller is serving a 40-year federal prison sentence for the kidnapping of huskins. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. we do have a timeline on the vallejo kidnapping case. abc7news.com. new uncertainty in washington, d.c. this evening over the suprem court nomination of judge brett kavanaugh. today, senate judiciary committee chairman, charles grassley said he's canceling the vote on kavanaugh's nomination. that of course, following the sexual assault allegations made against him by college professor

christine blasey ford. kavanaugh denies ford's accusations. a hearing is set for monday where they've been invited to testify. acording to grass lee, ford has yet to confirm whether she'll be there. this comes as president trump sparred with democrats over their demand to have the fbi investigate ford's allegations. >> the fbi, john said, that they really don't do that. that's not what they do. >> we all signed on to this letter to demand an fbi investigation. but really, guess who is perpetuating all of these actions? it's the men in this country. i want to say shut up and step off. do the right thing. >> one person not at the hearing is mark judge who ford claims was in the room when she was assaulted. judge says he has no memory of any sexual assault and will not testify before the committee. as events unfold in washington, prominent women in politics here in the bay area are considering the possible

implications of the hearing. >> congresswoman anna he is cue who was -- issue told us -- she's a gentle honest person who may change people's minds. >> leslie brinkley is in san francisco with opinions on how the upcoming hearing will play out in the age of the me too movement. leslie? >> reporter: that's right, kristen. i talked today to prominent and powerful women in california politics. they said they remember exactly where they were 27 years ago. during the anita hill hearing. we believe we're living through a where you were kind of moment. >> what potential does the kavanaugh nomination have for the arc of history when it comes to the elections. >> in terms of the arc of history, it's important to have the truth. when a woman comes forward, that takes great courage. >> congresswoman nancy pelosi spoke along the san francisco

waterfront today as her daughter, the chair of the california democratic women's caucus emphasized how this is a replay of the anita hail/clarence thomas hearings in 1991. >> my phone has always been the informal hotline. it's been blowing up over the past two days with women saying i remember being 12 years old watching anita hill. i feel i'm watching history repeat itself. women are going to look and say, unless the republicans do something radically different than today, unless they do something radically respectful of christine blasey ford, you're going to sweep in feminine candidates who -- >> the activist who exposed harassment in the california government founded we said enough, is says it's all about respect. >> do a perfunctory hearing, this woman is torn up, they decide she has no credible blt,

they do a quick vote and he's on the supreme court, i think women might not forget that. >> this is a matter with nothing to do with politics and everything to do with our society, our sense of community and our respect for women. >> reporter: pelosi pointed out that this time there will be four women on the judiciary committee during the testimony. dan and kristen? >> leslie, thanks a lot. in the wake of anita hill's testimony during the thomas confirmation that we talked about, there was a wave of women elected to office. do people you spoke with today, expect to see the same kind of effect this year? >> reporter: yes, there is a sense, i would say, this kind of thing could happen again a year after the anita hill hearings. the number of women elected to the house of representatives doubled to 4. the number of women elected to the senate tripled to six. there could be another pivotal moment like that. reporting live in san francisco, i'm leslie brinkley.

abc 7 news. leslie, thanks again. [ inaudible ] >> for the republican point of view, we spoke with committee chairwoman and attorney. >> she takes the sexual assault allegations very seriously. but it's not fair to judge kavanaugh to let an unfounded accusation dee la'el hrail his appointment. >> i think it's -- to hold up a judicial nomination for one thing. she doesn't know when the incident occurred. she doesn't know where it occurred. she has told different stories about who was present. and she cannot verify the specific details of any of it. >> the bombshell accusations surrounding the kavanaugh case created a teachable moment when it comes to behavior and social skills. >> cornell barnard is live in berkeley with that part of our coverage for you. cornell?

>> reporter: dan, kristen, there's been a lot to talk about here at bay hill high school in berkeley. judge kavanaugh and the sexual assault allegations back from high school days, giving students and administrators a lot to discuss. >> so if we're -- >> a physics class at bay hill high school in berkeley. students here are also learning lessons in current events with the judge kavanaugh case. >> we're discussing it at dinner, actually. about what could be and should be done. >> respect among students isn't expected. it's required. >> the staff here teach us to be respectful and to be wary of strangers and be good to our friends. >> we want our girls to be respectful of the boys as well as we want the boys to be respectful of the girls. >> the executive director, shelly low bell says kavanaugh and his accuser created a teachable moment at school. she says it begins with learning responsibility. >> i think someone has to be responsible for their behavior

no matter how old they are. to me, it doesn't matter when it happened. it matters that it did happen. >> i've made many mistakes in my life. >> a freshman here says kavanaugh has been a topic. but he believes in second chances. >> just because someone did something 30, 40 years ago, which was wrong, doesn't mean that that reflects who that person is today. sfiemt students at bay hill know that any bad behavior could go on your school record. >> everyone should have a strong moral compass and be kind and compassionate to others. >> that behavior and social skills is part of the curriculum here. what is appropriate behavior and what is not. live in berkeley, cornell barnard. if you need help finding an ally to deal with harassment, we have a list of resources on our website, abc7news.com/take action. redeveloping. an old mall. sound simple?

anything but. >> a long and contentious meeting in cupertino. it could impact development across the state. a new push to implement the gold standard for using the internet in california and a pushback from the feds. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. rising temperatures and fire danger. we'll take a closer look, coming up. the house itself was totally unlivable. >> the pitfalls of home sharing and the questions to ask before you pack

a new state law may be used to allow a large housing and office complex to be built in cupertino if residents and the city council can't agree on alternatives. this project is planned for the mall site. david louie is live in cupertino. a lengthy public hearing is scheduled for this evening, right? >> it is expected to be a long city council meeting tonight as a result of supporters and opponents of this project. the project could be built right here. opponents have been very vocal. the developer says he's willing to work with the public. but they also have a plan b so to speak. one thing cupertino has is traffic. one thing the bay area doesn't have is enough housing, forcing workers to commute greater distances. they want to redevelop the

42-year-old valpo mall. sandhill property company based in palo alto would like to turn the 58-acre site into a mixed use project including housing units. some designated affordable. the development is tount road from the park. these two plan to be at the meeting to oppose the project. >> almost no parkland and very limited parking. in an area with no transit. it's going to worsen the traffic. worsen housing prices and worsen environment. >> these are concept drawings of the project. sandhill has a new state law it can use if it can't work on a plan both side accept. it allows them to build housing without public approval as long as it meets state criteria. this will be the first major test. they're ready to go ahead if the community and council can't come up with a better plan.

>> we've been at this for four years on this site. we're interested in moving a project forward that at a minimum addresses the housing shortage we experience in cupertino on a day-to-day basis. >> the application doesn't comply with the wall, the developer says it does. the city council agreed in june. that sets up the potential for a legal challenge. it also is impacting the november cupertino city council elections. among the opponets are candidates 3 -- three people opposing the project are among those for three open seats. david louie, abc 7 news. thank you. local democrat leaders urging the governor to sign a bill to enact net neutrality in california. abc 7 news was along the san francisco waterfront where state senator scott wiener was joined with others. he sponsored 822 after the s.e.c. voted to roll back net

neutrality rules in june. >> without net neutrality -- internet service provider can block our ability to access websites that they don't like or websites that aren't paying them enough monday. >> just yesterday the s.e.c. chairman called california's bill illegal. it said california's rules were anti-consumer and threatened the rest of the country. now to consumer news about airbnb. >> michael finney here. >> they're popular. everybody talks about all the time. how do you know what you saw online is what you're actually going to get. even worse could be unsafe. here's a look at some safety features -- what you can do before you book to make sure your stay is safe. >> when karen travels she loves to use home sharing websites. >> we love it. because it's really cheap way to travel. >> but when karen arrived at a

home she recently booked through airbnb, she was shocked to see the condition it was in. >> as soon as we walked in, you could tell that something wasn't right. >> karen says there was an offensive smell that overtook her and her husband. they found the homeowner kept pets in without cleaning them. airbnb gave her a full refund. it removed the listing from its website. karen also said she noticed carbon monoxide detector unplugged from the wall. a situation that could put a rental property safety in question. consumer reports recommends that all rentals have working fire safety products. but a 2018 study found only 56% of airbnb listings had monoxide detectors. airbnb maintains a web page dedicated to home safety which states we encourage every airbnb host to install working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in

their listing and check them frequently. consumer reports says that these are only suggested requirements. that's why you have to take a more proactive approach. >> vacation rentals are not regulated in the same way as hotels, which means you really want to reach out to your host before you book. o cf1 o >> consumer reports recommends asking these five questions. does the property have working smoke and carbon monoxide detecto detectors. is there a working fire extinguisher on the property? does it have an emergency safety card. is there a first aid kid u. kit in the home. does the property meet local safety regulations? >> asking the questions about give you an idea how safe the property is or bring up other issues you might not be aware of. >> we reached out to airbnb and it said quote, safety is our priority. they follow all local laws and

regulations. you can read the full statement if you visit my page at abc7news.com. >> very good. thank you, michael. on to the weather. hi there everyone. take a look at live doppler 7 right now while it's clear inland along the coast. the low clouds and fog are just stubbornly hanging on. that's going to change. this is a picture from the explo exploratorium camera. looks like somebody decorated the sky above the bay. 56 degrees in -- 72 san jose. 79 degrees in morgan hill. now this pretty much says summer from the south beach camera. marine layer is healthy surrounding sutro tower. vacaville, 81. concord 80 degrees. the temperatures so far in the upper 50s at the coast all the way to the low 80s inland. very similar to yesterday. that's not going to be the case tomorrow. take a look at the hour-by-hour forecast for walnut creek.

56 degrees at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. jumping a good 30 degrees by the time we head into 4:00 p.m. rising to about 86 degrees. it is going to be noticeably warmer. especially away from the coastline as we head into the next couple of days. a live picture from our east bay hills camera. you still see the influence of the marine layer and that's why temperatures are not going to rise too much along the coast tomorrow. low clouds near the coast. clear inland overnight. warming trend the next two days with fire danger on the rise. so we do have a fire weather watch. 11:00 p.m. wednesday until 5:00 p.m. thursday. this covers not just the north bay hills but lake mendocino and solano counties. the winds will be gusting to 35 miles per hour with low humidity. fires that do develop will spread rapidly. i want to show you an hour-by-hour forecast. 12:00 tomorrow afternoon. the wind out of the northwest in the north bay. it's a north wind both ukiah and clear lake that dries out the air and drops the humidity. 5:00 p.m. tomorrow night,

humidity is actually still in the comfort zone but as we head into thursday, things will really start to change. in cloverdale, lake berryessa. we'll be watching them carefully. single digit humidity 2:00 p.m. thursday afternoon as the heat builds and something to keep an eye on. obviously, this is the time of year -- temperatures upper 40s and to the upper 50s for most of you. ukiah to 46 degrees. we'll have low clouds and fog around tomorrow afternoon. so warmer day. gilroy, morgan hill, upper 80s in the south bay. 80 -- on the peninsula, 77 in palo alto. 73 san mateo. low to mid-60s near the coast. clear in downtown san francisco. 68 degrees for the afternoon. north bay, 60s along the coast. most of the rest of you in the 70s and 80s. 82 in santa rosa. east bay, mild weather. sunshine. 73. oakland, 75 fremont. inland areas will be warm.

it will feel like summer. 87 in concord. 85 in livermore. 86 degrees in pleasanton. download the weather app and track the temperatures hour by hour. minute by minute. it's a warming trend that will push the temperatures into the upper 830s tomorrow. thursday, near 70 along the coast. mid-90s inland. the temperatures come down a little bit. autumn begins on saturday. >> what a gift. right? >> summer. getting ready to fall. we've got the heat coming. thanks, sandhya very much.

people are still being rescued in north carolina. even though hurricane florence has moved out. but look at the flooding there. rivers over their banks. water levels are not expected to fully recede for days. the storm, sadly, killed 33

people. abc owned stations across the country are supporting relief efforts for florence. >> our sister station in los angeles, kabc taking part if a phone bank for the american red cross to raise money for the storm victims in the carolinas. >> you can call the number on the screen for the american red cross. 800-red-cross or 800-733-2767. wave at everybody. you can also text the word florence to the number 90999. they get $10 donation. >> waiting for your call. excellent. moving on, an oakland institution closed after 38 years in business. a line of people makes its last -- the owner, apparently wants to retire. the family does have a second location on international boulevard. that you'll be glad to know is staying open. a 10-year-old girl has a reason to smile. look at that.

the newest defender. we want to thank kay ramon for this picture. share your pictures with us with the #abc 7 now. you may see your pretty

you could generate yourat home.rgy, or to save energy, unplug unused appliances. do your thing, with energy upgrade california. i'm a.m. a daet coming up at 6:00, democrats in the white house square off over the kavanaugh. they look over the vetting process from the perspective of someone who went through it

twice already. we want to make sure everybody connects as electric cars. >> california's plan for electric cars is ambitious. but the vehicles are expensive. we examine what's being done to make them affordable and accessible. all coming up in a half an hour at 6:00. dan, kristen. thanks. we'll see you then. there is a new captain for the san jose earthquakes. >> she's only ten years old. abc 7 news was at a stadium today when destinee coronado got to meet the team. she's beaming. >> she's undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a stage 3 cancerous tumor. >> she'll serve as honorary captain. destinee talked about how she felt she'd be an honorary captain. >> i sat and i cried. i was really excited. >> tears of joy? >> yeah. tears of joy. >> so happy. now tomorrow destinee will sign her contract kick the ceremonial

first goal and go out with the captain. never been in better hand. world news tonight with david muir is next. for all of

tonight, major developments involving the president and his supreme court nominee. president trump saying, "i feel so badly for brett kavanaugh, he doesn't deserve this." kavanaugh now accused of sexual assault decades ago. tonight, a public hearing is now set. kavanaugh says he's ready. will his accuser, christine blasey ford, attend? and democrats tonight now demanding the fbi investigate what happened. and what the president now says about that. also tonight, the major rainstorm sweeping through the northeast, all part of florence, from d.c. to philly, from new york to boston. also, rivers rising in the carolinas, and the remarkable survival story. the family holding onto a tree, a mother and father, their children. it turns out that mother eight months pregnant.

the stunning headline developing today. the well-known sur