supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg passed away today at the age of 87. with that, good evening and thank you for joining us, i'm dion lim. >> i'm eric she fought athas l.ong and diff battle withnc. here's abc news reporter karen travers with a look back at her career. >> reporter: she was just the second woman to serve on the u.s. supreme court, but ruth bader ginsburg's true legacy may be at the architect of the equal rights movement. her career began in the and rac discrimination was a fact o in f>> repororter: eventually she hired by the american civil liberties union. she would help lead a movement that changed the nation, challenging laws that treated men and women differently in employment, housing and government benefits. she was appointed to the high court by president clinton in

1993. >> in her pioneering work in behalf of the womenftr o she ha truly historic record of achievement. >> reporter: as a supreme court justice she was best known for the far-reaching dhat struck downec the tioisn virgin military institute's men-only admission policy. >> those doors that were shut tight against us are now open. optimistic. >> reporter: justice ginsburg was known as a judicial work horse. she worked throughout her treatment for cancer in 1999 and again ten years later. in january 2019, herurry tovo rs lesions from her lung forced her to miss oral arguments, but she continued working from home. ginsburg became something of a pop ctu iat her life. this comedic but still rev rent impression of her on "saturday night live." >> i'm never going to step down now. you can't get rid of me. >> aentitled rbg

and the 2018 film "on the basis of sex" focusing on her push for equal rights. on civil rights, abortion and separation of church and state, she was a consistent liberal, yet she won the admiration of many conservatives for her grasp of the law and carefully considered opinions. karen travers, abc news, gtinsh.on >> now, last october justice ginsburg appeared at uc berkeley just two months after undergoing treatment for cancer. rb sasas whe fans was there to honor the law school's first female dean. >> the justice spoke for about 90 minutes and was her usual witty self leaving the crowd laughing and crying at the same time. she stayed clear of politics but did get in a little jab saying it helps every now and then to be a little deaf. not just in marriage but to this day in dealing with my colleagues.

people across the world are paying tribute to ginsburg on twitter. a look at many of the tweets, many of them from women thanking rbg for paving the way. governor newsom said we've lost a giant among us, a trail blazer and champion of equality and justice. his partner said i don't know that i can ever quite put into words what ruth bader ginsburg means to me or hasment to the progress of this country. hillary clinton wrote justice ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. there will never be another like her. jackie speiersaid we've lost an american icon of untold proportions, a feminist with the steeliest spine and a jurist of remarkable talent. >> london breed said rooud bader ginsburg lived an incredible life breaking barriers and delivering justice. her passing is devastating loss for our country. we can honor her life by continuing to fight for a more just society.

congresswoman maxine waters wrote we've lost a champion tonight but her legacy lives on. barbara boxer wrote my heart aches for the loss of justice ruth bader ginsburg. her contributions to equality will never be forgotten. maria shriver wrote the news of #ruth bader ginsburg passing has left me in tears. what a hero she was to me and millions of others. kellyanne conway also offered her condo justice ruth bader ginsburg led a remarkable life of consequence. she worked with passion and conviction, inspired many women, offered hope to other cancer survivors. house pelosilso put tak ape scy stateermeannt n newsroom just minutes ago that reads in part every family in america benefitted from her brilliant legacy and courage. over the course of her quarter century as an associate justice of the supreme court, rooud bader ginsburg became an worlwitheric,on tenacity, towering intellect and devotion

to the american promise of equality and opportunity for all. >> now, flags at the u.s. capitcap been lowered to half staff. this is customary when the nation is in mourning. flags will remain at half staff until justice ginsburg is laid to rest. mourners are making their way to the supreme court to pay their respects to ginsburg. flowers have been laid on the steps leading up to the court, n assee. now, rbg was known for being a legal pioneer as she fouequalit. before taking thechen b as an a american civilib l tierand kate larson joining us . kate, you've been gathering reaction to justice ginsburg's patsi passing and it is far reaching. >> i just got off the call with justice marla miller who serves on the california court of appeals and on california's supreme court ethics committee. justice miller has met justice

ginsburg in person. she called her riveting and a great listener. i spoke to justice miller about justicece in her own law career and she said it was just tremendous. >> when i was in law school, before she was appointed even to the d.c. circuit, which was her first judicial position before she was on the supreme court, she was a role model to all of us. she was the leading attorney at a time when there weren't that many women attorneys and she was also a leading attorney and real pioneer in bringing the court cases that established the whole panoply of rights that we now associate, that women have, gender equality rights that were revolutionary at the time that we take for granted now. a woman in law school at the time, the question the woman had to answer was, well, why are you here and taking a man's place?

things we couldn't even consider saying to people now were said at the time. doors were closed to women then, and not only did she open the doors, but the things that she accomplished once she got in the room were just incredible. >> i spoke to justice miller and asked her are your colleagues calling and texting? is everyone in the legal community here in san francisco and california communicating with each other? and justice miller actually told me that she's heard more from her personal friends and family, which really just goes to show in this conversation with justice miller, that justice ginsburg, rbg, really transcended the legal community. she was an inspiration and continues to be an inspiration to so many. of course the reaction is jt tr. people devastated and surprised. of course justice ginsburg health problems were well known but it alws felt like she bounced back, felt like she came out of the hospital so i also

think there's a lot of shock that she passed today. i'm kate larson. ack to you. >> all right, bys gu,kate, than very much. one of the late justice antonin scalia's children tweeted i'm very sad to hear about the passing of my parents' good friend and my father's wonderful colleague, justice ginsburg. despite scalia being conservative, the two justices shared a long friendship and even traveled together. despite their differences, there were lots of things they agreed on. one of those things were opera. the two often took in performances. after scalia died in 2016, ginsburg said she had lost one of her, quote, best buddies. now, along with friends, ginsburg leaves behind two children and several grandchildren. she was proceeded in death by her husband, marty, who died the itwo met in college and we wed more than 50 years. the two are known to have one of gr ae thstteeae lew york profil years ago, reporter jeffrey

toobin published this note marty wrote to ruth shortly before his death. it reads my dearest ruth, you are the only person i have loved in my life, setting aside a bit parents and kids and their kids, and i have admired and loved you almost since the day we met at cornell some 56 years ago. what a treat it has been to watch you progress to the very top of the legal world. after marty's death we should point out ginsburg was back on the bench. she says that is wha her husband would have wanted. >> as news broke of justice ginsburg's death, we used the abc 7 news app to send out a push alert, this push alert. download the app so you'll know the news as soon as it breaks. and much more ahead on the passing of justice ginsburg. also, though, we are expecting a spare the air alert tomorrow. abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel explains if it will ♪ ♪ i got it all from you

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to washington, d.c., now and a live look at the supreme court building. you see the flag at half staff there in memory of justice ruth bader ginsburg who died from complications from cancer at age 87. shifting gears now, enjoy the blue sky while it lasts. after enduring, believe it or not, a record-setting 30 straight days of spare the air alerts, the blue skies won't be here much longer. sandhya patel joining us now. it's not looking good for the weekend, sandhya. >> it's not. i mean i have to be the bearer of bad news, but at least i'm giving you fair warning. let me show you live doppler 7

and you will notice that there is a system that swept through our region bringing some showers to the pacific northwest right now, brought northern california a few drops. that is what helped clean out our air a bit. i want to show you the air quality. much of the west as you will notice has seen a change. california in particular, good to moderate for many parts except around yosemite where it is hazardous. our air quality has been good all day long in the green from ukiah to santa rosa, concord to san rafael. san francisco to livermore and the sea breeze has played a role in this. san jose just turned moderate. it is in yellow. and around the santa cruz area, good air quality. ,vosa because things will be changing for the weekend. here's a look at the smoke forecast. if you still want to get outside, you have the opportunity to enjoy fresh, clean air. but then the north wind will start to drag some smoke from northern california down to the bay area. you can see that in pink. tomorrow afternoon in the north bay heading across the entire

into sunday afternoon, it is going to be smokier for the entire region on sunday. monday we shift the wind again and look what happens. that fresh, clean air returns. good air qudiy,itted by the blu there for monday evening. until then a spare the air alert for tomorrow. poor air quality for the north bay, moderate air quality elsewhere. i suspect they're going to issue one for sunday as well. here's a le look from our emeryville camera as we look towards downtown oakland. some blue skies and fog in the distance. 64 in the city. 70s from oakland to san jose. gilroy 75 degrees. it's socked in on the golden gate bridge right now. 78 in fairfield and a foggy view from our tam cam so that's going to be with us tomorrow morning. warmer weather, smokier this weekend. spare the air for tomorrow. we are looking at autumn beginning on tuesday at 6:31. seasons are going to change. believe it or not, it's going to

feel like it here in the bay area as temperatures will drop. fog along the coast, bay, tomorrow morning you'll see it around the samgeneral vinl vicinity. the fog will peel back where it's going to hang around well into the afternoon and evening. temperatures tomorrow will be coming down compared to last night and the night before. 60s. tomorrow afternoon a nice day other than the smoke. livermore, 75 oakland, 80 san jose, 66 half moon bay, warmer day san francisco, 70. 81 in san rafael, 84 degrees in santa rosa. here's your accuweather seven-day forecast. increasing smoke and a spare the air for your saturday. smoky and warmer on sunday, low 90s inland, mid-60s coastside. better air quality for your monday and the season is changing on tuesday. temperatures dropping and minor warming is expected with autumn warmth wednesday through friday. inland areas in the 80s, coastside in the 60s. limit the exposure this weekend

to the outdoor smoky skies and you will be in good shape. eric and dion. >> great advice, sandhya, much appreciated. a look now at california's coronavirus numbers and there's reason for optimism. the state reported more than 3,600 cases diagnosed today. that's about 300 more than the seven-day average. there were 91 deaths, and that's below the daily average. the key number today is the positivity rate. the 14-day dip to 3.4% is the lowest it's been since the pandemic started six months ago. as for the bay area, you can see the number of daily cases on this graph there in blue. the yellow line is the rolling average and it is trending downward after spiking in early august. the cdc now saysny who's come in close contact with someone with covid-19 should be tested and that includes people who are asymptomatic. the agency released guidance that said testing might not be necessary for people who don't have symptoms. later reports stated that

guidance was pushed by the white house and dhs officials over the objections of cdc experts. the cdc removed that language from their guidance today. well, still to come on abc 7 news at 6:00, a new racial justice task force formed by the catholic diocese of oakland. all of it comes just months ter story about accusations of racism target at the bishop of oakland. and michael finney has a look where can a healthier heart lead you? for people with heart failure taking entresto, where can a healthier heart lead you? it may lead a world o. entresto helped people stay alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto.

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it is 9:20 p.m. in washington, d.c., yet you see a crowd standing outside the supreme court building. that's where the flags are at half staff in memory of ruth bader ginsburg, the associate justice of the court who died from complications of cancer at age 87. now, multiple sources have told abc news that president trump is expected to put forth a supreme court nominee to replace ginsburg in the coming days. joining us now is abc 7 news contributor and san francisco chronicle insider phil phil, reports that a nominee could be named very soon would indicate the white house already had a list of possible replacements. >> that's right. and abc is reporting through its sources a list of six. it's an interesting list, eric, because the picking of the next supreme court justice was sort

of a background issue for both president trump and for joe biden and kamala harris as we move forward in the election. just prior to justice ginsburg's passing, kamala harris said in a video chat that she and biden had agreed that if there was an opening on the supreme court, they would move to put a black female in there. well, there is an opening in the supreme court now, only instead of them putting someone forward, chances it's going to be donald trump. and he's putting forth a short list. as i said, abc news shows about six candidates. four of them are women. one of them is from south asian extraction. so what we have here is a mix of candidates that the democrats could have a very tough time facing as they go forward with the approval process. >> phil, i want to share this statement that ruth bader ginsburg had said and dictated just moments before her death. she said, quote, my moment

fervent wish is that i not be replaced until a new president is installed. let's take a look at this. we are looking at the timing of about seven weeks or so. whether or not that wish actually gets to come true has yet to be seen. what in your opinion is the likelihood? because this is not an awful lot of time for republicans to get their pick in. >> no, it isn't. but if they have got the ball, they're going to move it down the field. it's interesting to note that four years ago, just four years ago, mitch mcconnell, the same mu mitch mcconnell who's say we're going forward with a vote is saying, no, we should hold off on president obama's pick until after the election. it just goes to show in politics, if you have possession of the ball, you're going to try to move it, no matter what. so forget about what you said or past practices, if you've got a shot you're going to take it. there are even some republican senators who would prefer the decision be put off until after the election because they're facing questionable and tough elections in their home states.

administration is going to put it out there likely. what we're going to have is the process going forward, and the question is who's going to be in the crosshairs and how dohot b n the judiciary committee. she grilled brett kavanaugh, remember those? it was historic. what does she do now, especially if it's a woman that's put as the nominee? or do do you hold back? the second thing that's a very tough politics for the democrats is the issue at hand here. let's be honest about it. this pick is going to be about abortion choice, however you want to phrase it. republicans are adamant they want a pro-life candidate in there and donald trump is going use this to beef up his base that has been wavering after the coronavirus and other missteps by his administration. the democrats, they want a pro-choice candidate in there, but are they going to make saittion an issue?

in new york or california where you have a solid blue state that's pro choice, but how does it play in pennsylvania, texas and florida, those states you need to win? that's something that they're going to have to handle because how do you deal with those without losing votes in those key states. >> well, phil, as we know except for maybe the chief justice, many people on the street couldn't name a justice. but ruth bader ginsburg had a different quality, like a rock star quality. >> she did. as a matter of fact, i don't think most americans could name the chief justice. but ruth bader ginsburg,e,er he physical presence being so small but steady, it's not every supreme court justice has documentaries done about her. yes, she was a cult figure. but she was a solid vote and voice for women. i believe that when she was nominated by bill clinton he said she's the thurgood marshall

of the women's movement and she has been that for some time. so this is a tremendous loss and one that democrats had hoped to avoid but it doesn't happen. if that's not the way life works, that's not the way politics works sometimes. >> and of course this goes along with her sense of humor and also who she was as herself because she's been this pop figure where even her exercise routine and her resiliency was talked about on late-night television, phil. she was an icon to people who weren't even interested in politics. >> that's right. but politically speaking, or governmentally speaking if we can sit back and put on our civil civics hat, she was a close friend of antonin scalia, who was her opposite on the court. i think they were suited for each other because they were both brilliant. she got along with him, she vacationed with his family and their families together. she went to the opera with them. this was a person who could disagree with you adamantly and

intellectually and vote against you consistently and still find common ground personally. it's sort of sad to think that we are losing that in washington and in government these days, because now all politics is personal. and i think that wos l of oeur humanity there. so with the passing of ruth bader ginsburg, we lost not just a judicial voice, but a voice for reason and, dare i say it, civility. >> all right, phil matier, thank you for joining us. you can read phil's columns in the san francisco chronicle every wednesday and sunday. of course we appreciate his contributions to abc 7 news. still to come on abc 7 news at 6:00, we are working to build a better bay area by combatting racial and social injustice. but do you know it when you see it? >> i don't know if it's a he really. >> you can't tell anything. >> tonight the perception test.

everybody felt fine. but now im super sick. everyone is sick. i just wish we had been more careful. it would have been easier than this. so wear a mask. do what you can outside. stay six feet apart. because some things you just can't take back. do your part to lower the risk.

and once again, tha breaking news we've been following for about two hours now, the passing of justice ruth

bader ginsburg. we do want to take a live look outside the u.s. supreme court in washington. this is a taped video in d.c. where a steady stream of people have been showing up to mourn her death. flowers placed at steps, the flag lowered to half staff in her honor. now, rbg, as she was known by her fans, died following a long bout with cancer. she was the second woman to serve on the high court and was known as a legal pioneer, fighting for gender equality long before she joined the bench. ginsburg was appointed to the supreme court back in 1993 by president bill clinton. justice ruth bader ginsburg was 87 years old. >> now let's turn to our efforts to build a better bay area. all this week we focus on issues of racial and social justice and how we can improve. >> now, implicit or unconscious biases influence the snap judgments we make about someone even by just looking at them.

abc 7 news reporter julian glover put some south bay residents to the perception test and shows us how we can all be more mindful. >> reporter: what do you see when you look at me? a man, a black man, someone who has a good job because of how i'm dressed? what if you saw me like this, how i often dress on weekends when i'm not on tv? you'd probably have a different snap judgment. it's those micromoments of judgment and perception that influence how we treat the people around us often without knowing. so we set up an experiment to put some people to the perception test. >> where is this going? >> abc 7 news. >> oh, crap. >> one my one i asked people what they saw looking at four stock photos i found online, starting with this one. >> maybe having some troubles before, maybe like -- to m looks like maybe a recovery person. >> do you trust this guy? >> yeah, i would. eah. intensity in his gaze, but you

can't tell anything, you know, because if you imagine, you take everything off, it's just a man. >> people empathized with the blue-eyed man, saw his humanity, making little assumption about his life circumstances. then we showed this picture. >> my first thought is third world country. >> is she looking for help or is she looking for family members or food? >> back-to-back. >> might be yearning love, attention, a hug or maybe even a meal. >> a similar answer. >> maybe having access to resources. you know, it looks like somebody who has a lack in that area. >> what makes you say that? >> just mainly the look in her eyes. >> why does a person, a young girl, a brown girl, therefore, have to be someone from a third world country? the images that we see that are put forth particularly in media really shape the perceptions. these images are very damaging.

>> reporter: morton reynolds is the executive director of the maynard institute for journalism education, self proclaimed as the nation's oldest organization dedicated to ensuring all segments of society are fairly and accurately portrayed in media. he argues we all have implicit biases in part shaped by images in media. but -- >> the good part is that biases are mutable. we don't have to be a prisoner th exist and they are within us. >> reporter: but how are these biases within us? >> determined look on his face, maybe could be employed, could be unemployed. could have the hood off and just think he has nowhere else to go. >> happy being who he is. he's just in you know, clear eyes. talk to me. >> like a hip-hop rapper, maybe a boxer or fitness person.

>> media has portrayed black men, and black men are associated with crime, with sports and with entertainment. so she proves that point. >> i don't think that we can tell much. in the current political climate, you know, if i saw this man walking, the only thing i would think is, oh, he's not afraid yet to not wear a hood over his face because of being targeted. >> reporter: this woman acknowledged those stereotypes reinforced by images in media. >> it's not right. i know they're trying to perpetuate a thing of somebody being somebody to fear. i don't know, we all have a right to be cold. >> reporter: on our final picture, a common reaction. >> merely because of the air, i didn't look at the rest of the outfit so i thought she was a girl. now she's a boy. i think it's a boy because of the families. >> her family could be pretty good. >> you're sure it's a girl, though? >> oh, no, maybe not. maybe it could be a boy.

>> ooh. reminds me of my grandchild. she looks like -- i don't know if it's a she or a he really. it's kind of hard to tell. >> each person fixated on the child's gender as a binary choice, either a girl because of the long hair or boy because of the blue clothing. never considering the full scope of gender expression, a topic that comes up in martin's exercises. >> cisgender folks, meaning that you identify as the gender with which you were born haven't really had to consider that. our society is so cisgener based that it's either binary, it's man, it's woman. >> reporter: even while watching at home you didn't fall into the same bias traps, it's important to realize we all have blind spots and must be open to learning and dedicated to improving ourselves. >> the reality is to change and that change has to come from within and be very personal.

and so i would say start with self. >> reporter: so what will you do differently now? for abc 7 news, i'm julian glover. >> well, i watched that thinking about the old rorschach test, the inkblot. what do you see in there and how it says a lot more about you and what you've learned and what you've seen than it does about the inkblot or the person you were looking at there. >> that's right. and eric, what a thought-provoking piece that was from julian. i can't help but think of that age-old adage of don't judge a book by its cover. sounds so cliche. but the fact that now we are having this conversation and having one that's a little bit uncomfortable to many, even acknowledging it i think is a step forward in the right direction into getting understanding overall as a society for all. >> yeah, the problem with implicit bias as julian was saying in the piece is that decisions like that are made in a split second.

it takes thought to really balance things out when you're interacting with people. >> that's right. and whether or not we can execute it is another issue but the fact that we're having the conversation of this speaks volumes. >> indeed. if you're fighting for racial or social justice, we want to help you finding an ally. go to we've learned a lot more about the covid-19 virus. it's real. and it's dangerous. so, on behalf of all of us working on the front lines,

please take it seriously. and while we don't yet have a cure or a vaccine, we do know how to keep you and your loved ones safe. wear a mask. wash your hands. stay six feet apart. do your best to stay out of crowded spaces. and get a flu shot, it's even more important this year. we can do this. if we do it together. ♪

building a better bay area, and an important part of that is addressing racial and social yen justice. the catholic diocese of oakland has launched a racial justice task force three months after a pastor made a shocking accusation about bishop michael barber. i-team reporter dan noyes has an update to his report from june. >> reporter: the bishop declined to be interviewed about the task force or the troubling accusation from one of his own pastors. it appears he is focused on moving forward. michael barber announced a new task force. >> father peter claver baptized over 300,000 african slaves. >> reporter: he dedicated the service to a jesuit missionary.

>> that we listen and respond to the pain of those who have experienced racism in our country, in our church. >> reporter: over the coming weeks, the task force mission will be to recommend tangible steps to combat racism in the diocese. as a practical matter, what's possible? what could the task force actually do to improve things? >> well, education. >> reporter: the pastor of corpus christi church is leading the effort. >> i identify it sometimes as benign neglect and cultural insensitivity and that's what we're looking at, how we can be more mindful and more culturally sensitive to all of our catholics. >> reporter: the announcement of the racism task force comes three months after the pastor of a predominantly black catholic church in oakland made a stunning accusation during a facebook live video. >> the bishop of oakland is a racist. >> reporter: he has been active

on black lives matter protests. and he told me he went live on facebook after a meeting with bishop barber. >> he said to me black people should be happy with the way the church in this country has treated them. and in that moment, i got up and i said i cannot believe what you just said. this meeting is over. >> reporter: through a spokesperson, pitch barber denied making those comments but the stand is drawing praise from the oakland chapter of the naacp. >> i was really impressed. i have never met him but i'll meet him now. >> reporter: the president of the naacp tells me he appreciates the pastor's efforts and that he is cautiously optimistic about the bishop's plans to address racism. >> we're always sket cptical because we've had so many disappointments. it's kind of unfortunate that we

just don't have much faith and belief in organizations and churches helping us to the extent that they should. >> reporter: the pastor is also assigned to the new task force. he tells me he's glad to be part of it and is trying to stay under the radar for now. for the i-team, dan noyes, abc 7 news. >> 7 on your side keeps track of fairness in the marketplace for us. today michael finney ties together health care, our legal system and black lives matter. >> when you hear of an unfair or untimely death, you think in terms of social justice. but you should also think in terms of economic justice. sharon washington barnes and charles johnson don't know each other, but they know each other's pain. both had loved ones die in medical centers. sharon's brother, shawn, was 29 years old. an artist, youth counselor and working his way up the amazon career ladder when he showed up at an emergency room. >> my brother said multiple times i can't breathe.

and i will never forget these words, this is a direct quote from him. i can't breathe. i feel the blood coming up on inhale and exhale now. >> sharon says despite pleas for help, shawn washington died. charles johnson's wife, kyra spoke five languages and had a pilot's license. after the cesairean birth of he second son there were problems. charles said he and his wife begged. >> the entire time kyra is suffering and her condition is continuing to deteriorate, the thing that she kept saying to me is, baby, please stay calm, stay calm. and what kyra knew even in her most vulnerable state is that as a black man, if i raise my voice, if i lost my temper, if i slammed my fist on the nurses' station, if i grabbed a doctor by the collar and demanded that they do something, i would

immediately be seen as a threat. >> neither of these cases have gone to court, so we don't know what happened. and this is not a report about poor medical outcomes for african-american patients. that's old news. study after study has proven that. this is a story about how one's medicine failed sharon, charles and their families. they then felt like the california court system piled on. since african-americans are more impacted by bad medical outcomes, they're more impacted by california's malpractice laws. attorney john burris explains. >> regardless of what anyone might think in terms of this nonracial bias on its face, when you look at the overall process, you see that the health care that african-americans get is substantially less than others get. but more importantly, there's a higher percentage of those people who received medical malpractice who received less recovery. >> why? big payoffs are rare and reserved for those who can prove

multimillion dollar ongoing care costs or huge financial losses. a death rarely does that. pain and suffering not worth much in a california courtroom. often the legal top amount available is $250,000, a cap set 45 years ago. take a look at this federal government inflation calculator. input the year, 1975, the dollar cap, $250,000, then hit calculate. if the cap had just kept up with inflation, it would be nearly $1 million more than it is today. that's why charles signed on as chair of the fairness act campaign. the fairness for injured patient act is an initiative proved for the 2022 ballot. the cap would be tied to inflation and could be set aside under certain circumstances by judges and juries. >> they literally add insult to injury, right? because not only is this value of human life capped at

$250,000, it doesn't allow the family to seek justice. >> no amount of compensation and no amount of i'm sorries cover how we feel about losing my brother. it's not about that. it's about creating systemic, long-lasting change for not just people of color, but for anybody. >> once this november election is over, you'll begin hearing quite a bit about medical malpractice laws. i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> fascinating report. still to come, another check of the w

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it is just ten minutes away from 10:00 p.m. on the east coast but that's not deterring crowds from gathering at the u.s. supreme court where flags are at half staff following the death of associate justice ruth bader ginsburg. she's been battling cancer for years. finally cancer claimed her life at age 87. tributes are continuing to pour in for justice ginsburg passing away today at 87. she had been fighting pancreatic cancer. now a court seat is open with just months to go before the presidential election.

president clinton appointed ginsburg in 1993, the second woman ever to be on the high court. ginsburg's career was shaped by being a champion for women's rights. a private internment service will be held at arlington national cemetery. as for what's next for the court, senator mitch mcconnell, the majority leader, indicated the senate will move forward with whomever president trump nominates. now, the president spent the day campaigning in minnesota. a reporter broke the news to him. take a listen to his reaction. >> she just died? wow. i didn't know that. i just -- you're telling me now for the first time. she led an amazing life. what else can you say? she was an amazing woman. whether you agreed or not, she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. i'm actually saddened to hear that. i am sad to hear that. thank you very much. >> now democratic presidential

candidate joe biden spoke tonight from the airport after arriving in delaware. >> who was not only a giant in the legal profession but a beloved figure, and my heart goes out to all those who cared for her and care about her. she practiced the highest american ideals as a justice. equality and justice under the law. ruth bader ginsburg stood for all of us. >> it is of note that on the campaign trail biden has said he would nominate a black woman to the supreme court. now, we are of course continuing to post new information about the passing of justice ruth the passing of justice ruth bader ginsburg at our rush to work, grab a drink, hurry home. - [cell phone beeps] - stop! don't be on your phone. let someone else take the wheel. make a little eye contact.

make a plan. it's a busy world out there. we're all in it together. i've been involved in. communications in the media for 45 years. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly. and i enthusiastically prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. everybody felt fine. but now im super sick. everyone is sick.

i just wish we had been more careful. it would have been easier than this. so wear a mask. do what you can outside. stay six feet apart. because some things you just can't take back. do your part to lower the risk. for exactly that reason. every bite has real pumpkin and pecan pie sauce is a plus.

you can get it delivered or you can eat here with us. see you at denny's. you ca drink with friends orcan turn into two,with us. and a prescription can be stronger than you thought. stop! there are a lot of ways to get a dui. and a lot of ways to go-- text a friend, call a cab, share a ride. whatever you choose to do, go safely, california. well, that bad air, it's back. >> yeah, sandhya patel with a look at our weekend forecast. hey, sandhya. >> yeah, enjoy the blue skies while they last because this weekend it is going to turn smokier. let me show you something else, though, first. we've had an active atlantic hurricane season. we have over two months to go before it winds down. we've burned through the entire alphabet. wilfred no threat to land. teddy expected to pass well east

of bermuda. beta is the one in the gulf of mexico we're keeping our eye on. teddy well east of bermuda. beta is the one that's expected, tropical storm beta, to bring some heavy rain, already producing rain along the gulf coast around louisiana, and you will notice that rain and flooding conditions expected as we head into the weekend. here in the bay area, hazy skies tomorrow, warmer day, mid-60s to the upper 80s. the accuweather seven-day spare the air for tomorrow, smokier skies expected this weekend and early next week, change in the seasons on tuesday. dion, eric. >> sandhya, thank you very much. be sure to join us tonight for abc 7 news at 11:00. tributes from around the bay area and the country pouring for justice ginsburg. tonight her legacy and the building political battle. >> i'm in the south bay. young voters are stepping up to work the polls since covid-19 is keeping older volunteers home. how election day is sure to be

different. that story at 11:00. >> it was a very eventful friday, and that's it for this edition of abc 7 news. look for news any time on the abc 7 news app. i'm eric thomas. >> and i'm dion lim. for sandhya and the entire team here at abc 7 news, thank you so much for joining us. have a wonderful evening and we will see you right back here at 11:00.

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this is "jeopardy!" introducing today's contestants-- a filmmaker from los angeles, california... a music teacher from seal beach, california... and our returning champion, a student from la mirada, california... ...whose 1 day cash winnings total $20,100. and now here is of "j alex tre thank you, johnny gilbert. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. good to have you with us once again. if we were hoping for a variety in competitiveness in this first week of the new season, i think we have certainly achieved that.

we had two games that were runaways. we had one player, a challenger, who didn't make it into final jeopardy! we've had some substantial payoffs and one small payday of less than $5,000. a great variety indeed. what will happen today to round out the week? we'll find out now with joe, sarah, and herman. good luck. here we go. ♪ the categories, please. first off... tell us what the animal is in... ...and finally, we'll deal with "ism"s, all kinds of "ism"s. joe, start. alex, how about you give me some advice from the sidelines for $200, please. herman.