covid-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use in another country overnight. when the first shots are expected to be administered. >> i wasn't surprised. it was a matter of time. >> the new covid-19 variant has been found in the u.s. for the first time. the patient is a man with no travel history. what this means for contact tracing efforts. and some americans waking up to $600 stimulus checks in their bank accounts, but president trump still saying it's not enough. the effects of the pandemic highlighted at this food giveaway in the bay area. how you can help and give where you live. >> good morning. it's wednesday, december 30th. mike, what do you have going on over >> i have a lot going on over here. hands full with a cat, meowing

because he's up too early. let's look at live doppler 7. it's increasingly colder when you step outside. dress warmly and be prepared to deal with more frost. here is our storm, it's impressive looking. it will unload most of the moisture to the north we have a chance in afternoon in the north bay and sliding south this evening of a light rain. until then you don't need the umbrella, you will need the sun grasses early. if you're going to be out this evening streets will get slick. tomorrow's morning commute could be worse. we'll talk about that coming up. >> thank you. this morning a second coronavirus vaccine has been approved for emergency use authorization in the united kingdom. it was developed by astrazeneca and the university of oxford. we know people will start receiving this vaccine in a few days now. >> yes. the first two doses of -- or the first doses of the two-dose astrazeneca vaccine are being released today. they are expected to begin being

administered next week. astrazeneca aims to supply up to 100 million doses over the first quarter of 2021 as part of its deal with britain. the uk government recommended that the priority should be to give as many people in at-risk groups their first dose without reserving supplies for planned second doses. officials say everyone will receive their second dose within 12 weeks of the first. the head of operation warp speed said last week that a u.s. clinical trial is still ongoing for the astrazeneca vaccine. he said if results are positive, it could receive emergency use authorization by february or march. >> thanks. the first reported case of the new covid-19 variant has now been confirmed in the u.s. abc7 news reporter kate larson spoke to experts about was that means for contact tracing experts and vaccine efficacy. >> on tuesday, colorado reported the first known u.s. case of the new covid variant which british

officials say could be 70% more contagious. health officials say the patient, a man in his 20s with no travel history is recovering in isolation. >> to our knowledge does not seem to be associated with worse disease. >> reporter: dr. mike reed runs san francisco's contact tracing program. >> we haven't seen any of the strain in san francisco. that may change over time. >> reporter: the real burden is now on the labs which may need to sequence more samples to track down that strain. >> they will do the genetic sequencing on individuals that may have traveled from the uk. >> it bears watching to track variants, because some can develop more and more mutations. >> reporter: dr. maldonado says there have been many variants. the concern with the uk variant is the eight mutations on the spike protein, the basis for immunity. >> everyone is watching that protein like a hawk.

>> reporter: she says pfizer and moderna are tracking the variants and if they detect a piece of the virus is no longer susceptible to the vaccines, they can tweak them in a matter of months. >> you can change the rna of the vaccine to the mutation and make mutations to the variant as well. we do that with the flu vaccine every year. the government will provide an update on california's response to the covid-19 crisis. he's speaking at 10:00 a.m. this morning. we'll stream that on air, on our website, abc7news.com and on the abc7 news app. california's hospitals are really being pushed to the limit. particularly in two regions. icu availability remains at zero percent in southern california and san joaquin valley. the bay area is seeing a slight

improvement now, we're at 10.4%. dr. mark gottlieb is worried we could see another surge that puts the pressure on the hospital system. >> we know a number of people will be newly exposed over the weekend. please over the last few days before the new year and the celebrations that are planned, we hope some are canceled, some are done differently. >> if the bay area's icu availability climbs above 15%, the stay-at-home order could end next friday. this morning the long-awaited stimulus checks are finally going out. some of you may already have them in your bank account. president trump is attacking his own party saying the checks are not big enough. here's averi harper. >> reporter: this morning, another stimulus stalemate is taking shape in washington. as americans begin to receive a

second round of economic relief, the treasury department says direct deposits could have arrived as early as last night, while releasing more details about payments for americans who qualify. $600 for individuals, $1,200 for married couples, and up to $600 for each qualifying child. it all comes as a measure to bump those stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 hits a major block. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell blocked two attempts from democratic senators to bring it to a vote on the floor. but mcconnell added that the senate will begin a process to bring three priorities to the table this week. the possible repeal of liability protections for social media companies, election integrity, and potentially the $2,000 stimulus checks, all trump demands. but how the senate will actually proceed is still unclear. >> those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. >> reporter: after mcconnell blocked the vote, trump tweeted this morning, quote, unless republicans have a death wish, they must approve the $2,000

payments asap. >> i don't agree with donald trump on much, but even a broken clock has the correct time twice a day. >> reporter: democratic senate minority leader chuck schumer urging mcconnell to act. >> leader mcconnell holds the key to unlocking this dilemma. >> reporter: now if you don't see a stimulus check in your bank account this morning, keep in mind they just went out last night and they will continue for the next week. if you do not have irs direct deposit, paper checks start getting mailed out today. we know this pandemic has really increased the need for food for so many people in just a few hours the san jose non-profit will be meeting that need in a big way. amy hollyfield is live with more on this holiday meal drive-through. amy? >> good morning. yeah. hunger at home here in san jos . will start giving out food at 9:00 this morning but cars can start lining up at 6:00.

here's what they can expect. this was a grocery giveaway they did earlier this month. 700 cars lined up. for thanksgiving, hunger at homeworkers say they gave you the 30,796 meals. just one non-profit. for today's event, they say they have the distribution system very planned out. >> when you come in, you come through the courtyard, you will go through a series of signs, masks on, windows up, trinks op trunks open, every family will receive produce, different breads, ready to make meals designed to feed six people. >> it's open to everyone. hunger at home says it's given away more than 2.5 million meals since the pandemic hit. they do need help. they are asking for donations from anyone who can give so they can keep helping those in need. reporting live in san jose, amy hollyfield, abc7 news.

>> thank you. many people are in need in the bay area. some for the very first time. if you are in position to help, you can give where you live. we have a list of local vetted organizations at abc7news.com/takeaction. happening today, the state's department of water resources will conduct the first snow survey of the season south of lake tahoe. this is video from earlier this year. the officials will measure the snow's depth and get an estimate on its water conduct. below average snow is expected. electric monitoring stations showing the sierra snow is under 50%. >> that's sad because that's where we ended up last year. snow is on the way. up to 6 inches between tonight and tomorrow. it's colder this morning in most areas except half moon bay in san francisco. let's go down to the south bay, freezing cold temperatures, mountain view, santa teresa,

santa clara, very close in cupertino at 33, alum rock at 34. look at that. 30 in danville right now. everybody in the low to mid 30s in the east bay valleys. the only areas in the 40s are along the coast. san francisco and alameda at 45. here's our forecast. moving forward, scattered light showers tonight. less than 0.2 inches of rain. this morning, increasing high clouds. a little sliver of sunshine for lunch. increasing clouds this afternoon. a few rogue showers possible in the north bay late this afternoon. the real show comes in during the evening and early overnight hours. by 5:00 tomorrow morning, it's just about over. for tonight's evening commute, it may get wet as far south as santa rosa. outside of the peninsula where we may have some rain shadow, all of us will be driving on slick streets tomorrow morning.

how about this morning? let's find out what's going on with our commute with jobina. >> unfortunately we're following a deadly crash in vallejo. the chp issued a sigalert for the area as we bring in the map here. this is going to be on westbound 8 before state route 37. at least three lanes are blocked right now. according to the chp, one of the cars is overturned, that passenger was ejected from the vehicle. we have a deadly crash in vallejo. you can expect delays in this area. the chp issued a fog advisory for the golden gate bridge this morning. just make sure to take your time as you move in and out of the north bay. i know it doesn't look that bad on the camera. they did issue the advisory. checking in on-week, aside from the major problem we're watching unfold in vallejo, everything else is looking clear on our roadways. >> thank you. a special delivery is headed for the port of oakland today.

sky 7 flew above the new cranes and these will allow the port to handle massive container ships. transporting the cranes is a delicate operation. the crane booms had to be lowered in order to fit under the golden gate and bay bridges. the cranes should arrive at 8:00 this morning. they will be the tallest ever at the port of oakland. that's cool to see. also cool to see, a treat for star gazers. an amazing schohot of the cold moon. >> and bay area service employees leaving the state to find work. the two major issues this underscores. and one restaurant openly defying health orders, still

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you can see the impact there, small businesses in california can apply for grants through the state's covid-19 relief fund today. the grant amounts will range from 5,000 up to $25,000 depending on the applicant's annual gross revenue. the first round of applications opens at 6:00 this morning. it will close at midnight next friday and approvals will be announced the following week. it's been three weeks since outdoor dining shut down in most of the bay area. as matt boone found out with few service jobs left, many bartenderers and servers are looking for work outside of california. >> like many restaurants in the bay area, shake wells here has had to go through the process of firing and rehiring workers twice now. while they've been able to maintain some staff, others had to move out of the state to find work.

>> reporter: their outdoor dining setup sits empty, they have been surviving on takeout, while he brought some of his staff back, others made tough decisions of their own. >> i had a great host. she was as talented as could be. she couldn't make it so her mom and dad were in thailand so she said unfortunately, tim, i got to go back because i can't afford to stay here. >> reporter: as bartenders struggle to pay bay area rent, others headed for states like nevada or kentucky where many restaurants and bars remain open. this underscores two major issues, first, when restaurants open for in-person service, there should be a shortage of workers. >> i feel like we will have lost a lot of industry folks when we come back and are open and ready. it will be tough to find the help for it. >> reporter: second, it

emphasizes the broader economic impact of the pandemic that lower wage workers have been hit the hardest while lagger companies gobble up the competition. the brookings institute found that the top 13 retail companies in the u.s. have earned an extra $16.7 billion in profits compared to last year up 40%. their stocks have surged as well, an average over 33% over last year. meanwhile, average pay for their workers inched up just over a dollar per hour, only a 10% increase. in oakland, matt boone, abc7 news. and one restaurant is racking up fines by openly defying orders. en cantro is still offering outdoor dining. you can see the patio last night. it was packed. outdoor reservations can be made online. no one from the restaurant would comment. it is one of several restaurants in contra costa county ignoring the ordinance. the police chief sent us a statement saying we have officers that patrol the business areas throughout the town. when they find a business in

violation of the order they will write a crime report. look at this. oh. a treat for star gazers. abc7 was in san jose last night where we got this amazing shot of the full moon. this so-called cold moon is the last full moon of 2020. the wolf moon will rise on january 28th. did you all watch it? it made me so happy. i opened the windows and laid on the bed. i was like yes, the moon. it was so stunning. >> look at you getting energized. >> i was like the moon is here. we're hanging out. >> yes. >> i'm admiring -- >> it caught my eye. i was coming downstairs, and we have an open second story living room. and i saw it through our half or crescent-shaped window. it was so bright and so beautiful. so, hopefully other people got to enjoy it also. if you didn't, guess what? it's still out there. right now it's getting diffused

by high clouds. it doesn't set until 8:04. the sun comes up about 7:28. you need to go out there in the next hour or so if you want to see it before the sunsets. let's talk about what's going on. here's the exploratorium and some of those clouds out there. partly cloudy now. cooler all day, not only this morning but also this afternoon with increasing clouds. that dim sunshine is the reason why. fast moving light storm during the darkness of tonight through tomorrow morning. the storm door opens and we could get some good soakings this weekend. storm clouds thickest across the north bay. a few rogue showers are possible across the north bay. 54 in half moon bay to 58 in santa cruz. elsewhere around the bay, 56 to 58. we may get to 59 inland. that's as warm as it will get. tonight will be milder with the clouds and the rain around. temperatures mainly in the 40s. here's my accuweather 7-day forecast. a 1 for today.

we get a break tomorrow. the new year's eve night is going to be fine and chilly. new year's day is good. we have a 1 saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday for now. as we get closer to tuesday, wednesday, thursday next week, we may have to bump those up to 2s. that's how much rain they'll have. it will be a wet start to the new year and we need it. >> all right. thank you. coming up next, the 7 things to know this morning. and new information about the woman who falsely accused black teen of stealing

if you're just joining us, here's the 7 things to know this morning. number one, another grim mi milesto milestone. just released data shows yesterday was the deadliest day since the pandemic started. the united states reported 3,725 people died yesterday, breaking the previous single-day total that was set on december 16th. number two, colorado has reported the first known u.s. case of the new covid-19 variant, which british officials say could be 70% more contagious. health officials say the patient, a man in his 20s with no travel history is recovering in isolation. number three, regulators in

the uk have authorized the covid-19 vaccine developed by astrazeneca and the university of oxford. the first doses are being released today. number four, check your bank account. the second round of stimulus checks started arriving via direct deposit overnight. eligible american also receive a one-time payment of $600 per person. number five, our wednesday starts cold and dry but ends up mild and wet as showers are rolling in tonight. less than 0.2 inches of rain. it will create slippery conditions especially for tomorrow morning's commute. number six, unfortunately we're following a deadly crash in vallejo this morning as we bring in the map. you can see the backup in the area. three lanes are blocked on westbound 80 before state route 37. you should expect delays for at least a few hours. and number seven, a very special delivery for the port of oakland today. three massive cranes arriving to handle massive container ships

and they're really tall. so the crane booms had to be lowered so they could fit under the golden gate and the bay golden gate bridges. in today's "gma first look." the new york police department says it will upgrade charges against a woman who falsely accused black teenager of stealing her phone. >> reporter: in this morning's "gma first look," the nypd is trying to find this woman, seen here confronting and physically trying to take a phone away from a 14-year-old boy claiming he stole her property. >> this is my phone. >> so he me -- >> you don't have to explain nothing to her. >> take the case off, that's me. >> are you kidding me? >> officers trying to locate the woman who left before police arrived at the arlo hotel in downtown new york where the incident occurred. the teen and his parents appearing on "gma" tuesday. >> we hit the lobby and she was all on him asking him for his phone immediately. >> for me, i was confused. i never seen that lady ever.eve.

i didn't know what to do. >> coming up at 7:00 a.m., the latest on the investigation. with your "gma first look," abc news, new york. people spent a lot of money on mobile apps and games during chr the christmas holiday. we're talking about more than 4$407 million. that's up nearly 35% over last year. the majority of the holiday spending was on mobile games. tiktok was the top non-gaming app generating 4$4.7 million globally in revenue on christmas. if you would like, you can start the new year with extra pep. that's because today dunkin' added extra charged coffee to its menu. the new brew contains 20% more caffeine than the company's classic drinks, but apparently it tastes the same. dunkin' says the extra jolt

comes from green tea extract. it can come hot or iced. >> what? >> how much jolt do you need? >> that's what i'm saying. you'll be shaking walking down the street. >> too much. we are coming back with another full 90 minutes of news including dancing robots. the very life-like moves they are showing off. >> okay. and testing the confetti that will help ring in the new year. ryan seacrest talking about the countdown to 2021 this morning. and a disturbing video showing a police officer hitting his own k-9 partner. how the department is responding. first, it is 5:26. here's a live look at the golden gate bridge this morning. we'll be right back.

now at 5:30, $600 stimulus checks now hitting bank accounts. the question this morning, will president trump get his request to increase them to $2,000. getting americans vaccinated. just over 2 million doses have gone out so far. president-elect joe biden's strong entertainment about tsta. and a high need for donations this holiday season. the giveaway helping fight hunger at home today. ♪ >> oh, the robots are back. this time they're dancing.

on our graves. not that last part, but i'm just looking into the future. >> friend, i can't take it this morning. >> this might be the most horrifying yet. >> maybe. when i first looked, i was like okay. >> kumasi, don't be charged. >> okay. >> don't let them pull you into their vortex. >> okay. >> friend, i'm happy you're back. i wanted to tell you that. i hope you had a nice time off and a good christmas. >> it's nice to see our whole group here this morning. >> i know. where's mike? >> there he is. >> i'm here. i'm glad we saved the robot story for when reggie came back. >> i know. they're trying to show some personality and they may dance better than someone you're looking at right now. we won't go into that. let's look at what's going on. we have an issue this morning with how cold it is. there's frost out there. but it's the liquid variety that will cause some issues tonight

as a quick moving storm will bring us light showers overnight. less than 0.2 inches of rain. it will make it slippery tomorrow morning. clear conditions early allowed us to fall colder this morning than yesterday morning. increasing high clouds, so the coolness has just about ended for most of us. 46 in the east bay hills. 30s hanging on through 7:00. low to mid 50s through noon. low to mid 50s through four lock. all day yesterday will be colder than yesterday. rain should be moving out of the north bay and to the rest of the neighborhoods by 7:00 this evening. let's get back to reggie. >> developing this morning, the second round of economic stimulus checks expected to start arriving in barnk account right now. eligible americans will receive a one-time payment for up to $600 per person. whether or not president trump gets his request to increase that to $2,000 remains to be seen. mitch mcconnell blocked two attempts to increase the checks

yesterday. he said they must repeal liability protections for social media companies and a commission to review the election. >> those are the three important subjects that the president linked today. >> leader mcconnell holds the key to unlocking this dilemma. >> mcconnell said the senate will vote today on whether to override president trump's veto of the defense bill. and there is a grim milestone in the u.s. yesterday was the deadliest day since the start of the pandemic with 3,725 deaths across the country. this comes as britain is in the midst of a major surge. jobina fortson is tracking that at the live desk. >> thank you. good morning. the united kingdom reported more than 53,000 new cases on tuesday alone. that is a new record for them. the surge could be because of a new mutation of covid-19 which appears to be more infectious. that strain was first seen in the uk but has now been identified in one person in

colorado. this morning an infectious disease expert is on "gma" explaining about what it means for us. >> it does look like the virus binds more tightly to itself, and it is consistent with the fact this might be more contagious. i think that hasn't been formally proven yet, but it appears to be. i'm not sure what difference that should make for us. the current virus seems to be contagious enough. we have 20 million people infected and almost 350,000 people who have died from this. it shouldn't change our behavior. >> dr. paul oppet says we should continue to wear masks and social distance and wash our hands more frequently. the new strain of covid-19 comes as astrazeneca's vaccine receives emergency use authorization in the uk and as

president-elect joe biden criticizes the pace of vaccination rates. now we're learning more about an incoming congressman who died of covid-19. here is averi harper. >> reporter: louisiana congressman luke letlow is the first member of congress or member elect to die of covid-19. the louisiana republican and father of two was hospitalized on december 19th and never recovered. health officials saying distribution of the vaccine is critical. only 2.1 million doses of the vaccine have been administered. that's far behind the 20 million that the trump administration promised by the end of the year. president-elect joe biden issuing a stark warning. >> if it continues as it is now, it's going to take year, not months to vaccinate the american

people. >> reporter: trump administration officials say the federal government can only do so much. >> the federal government doesn't invade texas or montana and provide shots to people. we support the states doing that. >> we have yet to see the impact of millions of travelers this holiday season on coronavirus case numbers. many health officials are bracing for surges in the new year. the averi harper, abc news, washington. president-elect joe biden has expanded his covid-19 response team and it now includes a man from the bay area. bashara kukarkukarkukarkukar kaiser foundation in oakland. he's one of three coordinators named to the team. nearly the new year, same old problem. our food banks all over the bay area have seen unprecedented demand. this morning in san jose, a nonprofit is trying to make it as easy as possible for folks to receive much-needed supplies. amy hollyfield is at the latest hunger at home event.

>> yeah, they are making it easy. you just drive in. you don't have to get out of your car. it starts at 9:00 this morning on burger drive in san jose. here's a look at the need that they have been seeing here at this non-profit. 700 cars lined up for a grocery giveaway they did earlier this month. workers here say they're seeing a lot of people from the service industry, nail and hair salons and restaurants, businesses shut down during this stay-at-home order. they say when they started helping during the pandemic they would see 200 cars in line, now it's up to 700. they say that need keeps growing and they have no idea how long they'll have to keep doing this. >> as you can see in the crystal ball, we have no understands of when the need is no longer there. our hopes are to be there for the community for as long as they need. and our hopes are also that the need doesn't go for too long. >> they estimate they will provide 60,000 meals during this

two-week long winter break. they will be here today from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00. anyone is welcome including donors. if you can give, they say they could really use some help. reporting live in san jose, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. >> thank you. and a reminder that if you are able to be generous this season, you can give where you live. go to abc7news.com/takeaction to give where you live. we have a list of local vetted organizations. coming up, a viral video out of vacaville shows a k-9 handler punching his k-9 partner. it's now raising questions about training. also this morning, robots hitting the dance floor. the new year gift from boston dynamics. and happening now, be careful if you plan to go to the beach today. a beach hazard statement is in effect through 8:00 tonight. there's an increase risk of sneaker waves and rip currents. the national weather service is

to stay aware and never turn your back on the water. for more on our forecast, let's turn to meteorologist mike nicco. >> yeah. that beach hazard statement goes through at least 10:00 this evening because of those sneaker waves. we want to make sure the beach combers don't let their dogs loose on the beaches. after 10:00 it gets worse. it gets more dangerous. a coastal flood advisory as large breakers will come in up to 20 feet. long lun run up on the beaches will cause more erosion and stronger rip currents than what we're dealing with right now. that goes all the way through 3:00 friday morning. that's how we'll usher in the new year. look how cold it is in the tri valley. knocking in the 20s. 31 in livermore. brentwood is cold at 33. 37 in concord. freezing cold temperatures in the north bay. look at mountain view, 32.

some 40s at hayward, oakland, san francisco and pacifica. let's talk more about tonight's 1 on the storm impact scale. and it will go into the north bay first. we're seeing a few high clouds this morning. that ought to make for a gorgeous sunrise. midday sunshine and increasing clouds ought to make for a gorgeous sunset. tag me then, also. i don't see the sunset often. here's the showers rolling into the north bay late in the afternoon. by 0:5:00, they're just about gone. they will leave a nice sheen on the road that will make it slippery. for the evening commute, rain as far south as santa rosa for tomorrow morning's commute. rain just about everywhere except for the south bay and the peninsula. we'll talk about what to expect next week as even more rain is on the way. i weant to get over to jobina with traffic. >> i'm so sad to report that we

have a deadly crash in vallejo this morning. that is the big story on our roadways as we bring in the map here. you are going to face an extensive back upif you are traveling westbound on 80. this crash is before state route 37. according to the chp the vehicle overturned and the passenger was actually ejected from the car. so three lanes are blocked right now. you can see the speeds dropping to about 9 miles per hour. a live look at the bridges here. starting off with the bay bridge toll plaza. we do not have metering lights on. and they have not come on since early last week. i'm not expecting they will. looks like a lot of people will be off through the new year. and bringing in a live picture of the san mateo bridge. as we see traffic begin to pick up as people travel westbound. things are moving and as far as

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a disturbing video out of vacaville showing a vacaville police officer punching it's a k-9 partner. stephanie sierra spoke with the man who caught this all on come ra a camera and the police department. this video is disturbing. . the dog was crying. the dog was crying like somebody was running him over. >> reporter: robert was on his way to work monday morning when he heard signs of a dog yelping. warning, this footage may be disturbing to some of you. the vacaville police officer seen in this clip is sitting on top of his k-9 partner punching him. according to police the officer was doing routine training in the back parking lot of vacaville fire station 73. >> at least ten punches. >> for how many minutes? >> i would say i noticed for at least five minutes.

>> captain matt liden said the k-9 handle every was doing a search for narcotics, he did well so the handler rewarded him with a toy. >> at the conclusion of that, the dog wasn't willing to give up the toy. and in the handler trying to obtain the toy, the dog became angry with the handler and lunged in attempt to bite the handler. thank goodness that did not happen. >> is punching a dog ten times really necessary? >> i'm not prepared to speak to anything that i did not observe myself. >> rene lancaster is a retired police officer and a k-9 handler for 22 years. she's trained dogs for 15 law enforcement agencies across the bay area. would you trarn train your k-9 like that? >> i wouldn't sit on my dog and punch it as a first choice, no. personally, i can't imagine having to get to that extent

where you have to sit on your dog and punch it where i couldn't even see the dog moving. >> the captain says the handler in this footage has been an officer for 11 years but only a few months in to the six-month k-9 training program. >> the k-9 handler placed the dog in a position of dominance to create that dominance and teach that dog who's in charge. >> is that acceptable behavior? >> we're always looking at better ways to train, making sure we're in compliance with policy and procedures. >> but palomino said it didn't seem like training. >> he was straight up beating the dog on the face, and i was like, this is not cool. >> now the captain says the video is being investigated and thankfully the k-9 is doing okay. it is unclear if the officer will have disciplinary action. stephanie sierra, abc 7 news. new overnight, a bill

legalizing abortion has passed in the pope's native argentina. so now argentina is the largest nation in latin america to legalize abortion. this landmark vote gripped the nation into the early morning after a marathon 12-hour session. the vote means that abortion will be legalized up to the 14th week of pregnancy. argentina's feminist movement has been demanding legal boef s abrtion for more than 30 years. the louisville police department is moving to fire two more officers in the deadly shooting of breonna taylor. one is the detective who sought that no-knock warrant and the other is the officer who fired the fatal bullet. back in the bay area, a statue in oakland honoring taylor has vanished it was vandalized over the weekend and the artist vowed to repair it and cast it in bronze. he walked by yesterday morning and noticed it was gone. the only thing left was the base.

>> the vandals knew that their attack was defeated the first time. they tried to crush the black lives matter movement. >> oakland police are investigating the incident. the artist plans on making a new statue with money from an online fundraiser and donating the leftover funds to taylor's family. now to dancing robots. the team at boston dynamics at it again only this time there's choreography. ♪ >> no, no, no. >> whoo! >> these robots -- i don't know what this robot is in the very back that has all the junk in the trunk, the other three are spot, handle and atlas. is that the running man? >> i'm done. >> spot is the yellow one. spot is the one we need to keep our eye on. spot is the one that can open

doors and stuff. >> this is -- listen. >> atlas is the one that looks like a human. boston dynamics released this video and said happy new year. >> did they? what exactly -- i mean -- >> really? >> how could you possibly have a good year after seeing that. >> is that what we're looking forward to in 2021? >> no, that's a curse. >> i thought the little dog was a little fluid. he had little moves. >> it's fluid. that's how they'll dance when we're all gone. you understand that, right? that's the celebration. kumasi is not mad. >> i'm not mad at all. this is proof that i need to

dance somewhere. this is what happens when you're deprived. >> that's a covid-free partner right there. >> right? >> we will have to upgrade what it means to do the robot. if that's the robot, this is not going to cut it. >> that will not make it. no. that's over. >> kumasi, i have a tip for you. call ryan seacrest because he owns everything. dancing with the robot stars. >> whoa. >> okay, mike. you own it. >> chew on that one for a while. >> here's what's going on with the forecast. 47 degrees. one of the warmer spots for sure in san francisco. it will be colder all day today with more clouds and sunshine as our next system draws near. it's a weak one for tonight. a 1 on the storm impact scale. north to south with light rain, less than 0.2 inches of rain. then 2021 and we usher in a new storm track. the door opens, we could have real soakers next week.

for today, 54 to 59 degrees where we should be for this time of the year. tonight, not nearly as cold as this morning nor yesterday morning. 35 in santa rosa. most of us in the 40s with lingering clouds. here's a look at our storm up to the north bringing much-needed rain and snow to the pacific northwest. they're going to have a banner winter while we're going to get their scraps. this is one of those instances. thursday, friday, new year's eve and new year's day are dry. then saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday a series of 1s that next week could turn into 2s. that's how impressive the storm door will be. >> thank you. you still mad about the robot? >> i'm not mad. i'm glad they're giving us a warning. >> okay, friend. new at 6:00, the new funding for the san francisco unified school district that could help get students back to school safely for in-person learning. first monterey bay aquarium

becomes an unlikely hero in the distribution of the pfizer vaccine. and testing the confetti that will help us ring in

this morning a family is pleading for the return of a special stuffed yellow bear stolen in a car break-in at golden state park. nicole emrick's was there with her daughter on monday night when someone stole her purse and two backpacks from the they drove around recovering nearly all the items, but they could not find the yellow bear. >> my dad won it for me through a denny's.

it's been with me through a lot of stuff, when my parents divorced divorced and my hospital stuff. >> emrick's posted the story online hoping someone will return it. monterey aquarium has become an unlikely hero in the distribution of the pfizer vaccine. an ultra cold freezer was loaned to a hospital in monterey county and now stores the vaccine. it comes by way of the monterey collaborative and different sectors within the county. they are helping their local community any way they can. >> being a part of the covid-19 collaborative, being able to loan this ultra cold freezer to the hospital is all part of getting our county healthy again so that our economy can reopen again. with that the monterey bay aquarium will be able to reopen again. >> won't that be nice. the hospital placed an order for an ultra cold freezer months

ago, but it's not due to arrive util sometime in january. the countdown to 2021 is now under way which does include testing the confetti in new york city. confetti rained down in times square yesterday. it's just a small taste of what's to come tomorrow. ryan seacrest is hoping dick clark's rocking new year's eve on abc7 and he's talking with "good morning america" about some of the great performances and guest stars we can expect. >> our friend jennifer lopez will be with us on stage. lucy hale, billy porter will co-host. we'll be able to move around freely but with masks on. >> he says the celebration will also include first responders and essential workers. you can watch the confetti fly and the ball drop right here on abc7.

dick clark's new year's rocking eve kicks off tomorrow night at 8:0 8:00. >> i'll be asleep. >> will you really? >> yeah. >> why? >> because i'm working. >> friend. >> there's going to be no confetti in my house. confetti in my dreams. >> okay. new at 6:00, keeping the power on during pg&e public safety power shutoffs. how one north bay lawmaker is planning to making it happen. covid crisis in the bay area. a check in on local icu beds available. and special delivery, the massive structures being transported across the bay to the port of oakland. a live look

we have not seen any of this strain in san francisco. that may change over time. now at 6:00, bay area doctors weigh in on the covid-19 variant now identified in the u.s. how local contact tracers are trying to keep up. and check your bank accounts. some people may have gotten their stimulus checks overnight. meanwhile an effort to increase the payment amount has hit a road block. and the employees at sfo show us their best dance moves. the message behind this music video. i'll take this over the robots. >> i will agree with you on

this. >> much better moves. good morning, everybody. it is wednesday, december 30th. it was really nice. mike, we want to check in with you. you've been talking about rain this morning. >> yeah. it is coming in late this afternoon and especially during the evening and early overnight hours. we're starting off colder this morning. the high clouds that you see coming in on live doppler 7 should stop our cooling in many areas. but it's already gotten down to lower levels than yesterday. let's focus on later tonight. 1 on the storm impact scale. light showers less than 0.2 inches of rain. a slippery commute mainly this time tomorrow. a few low clouds developing from the east bay hills camera. temperatures in the low to mid 50s where we should be for this time of the year. dry during the day. kumasi? >> thank you. this morning a second coronavirus vaccine has been approved for emergency use authorization in the uk. it was developed by astrazeneca and the