abrams weighs in on what we can expect. plus, the investigation into facebook's hiring practices after several allegations of racial bias. good morning. it is tuesday, march 9th. thanks for being there. we'll check our weather now with meteorologist mike nicco. hi, mike. >> good morning, reggie, kumasi, jobina. a wet tuesday, a wild one also. we're starting off with a little bit of fog around novato. visibility down to a quarter of a mile. that is an issue for the morning commute. down to a mile in santa rosa. that has to do with fog and a little bit of rain starting to move in. you can see a line of showers, light, moderate, even a drop of lightning about two hours ago out over the ocean. that gives you an idea of what to expect. here is a little greater look at this one storm on our storm impact scale. it is light today and tomorrow. with brief downfors, lightning, hail, gusty winds, locally, and a snow level down to 3,000 feet. so far most of us outside the north bay have been dry.

but expect that to change as we head through the day and chilly temperatures only in the 50s for highs. kumasi? >> thank you, mike. happening today, two more bay area counties could be moving into the red tier. alameda and solano counties are currently in purple, but a move would allow for more reopenings including limited indoor dining. amy hollyfield is live in berkeley with more details on this. good morning, amy. >> reporter: good morning, kumasi. after listening to mike's forecast, sitting out here is the last place you would want to be. but the good news is here you will have the option to move indoors very soon. you'll be able to eat inside, good timing as this weather is about to turn cold and rainy. right now, five bay area counties are in the red tier. it looks like alameda and solano counties may join them today, crossing over from the purple tier. red tier does allow indoor dining and also lets museums, gyms and movie theaters reopen.

they're all limited on how many people they can allow inside. but officials say it is still a very good step for businesses. >> everyone is cautious and elated, understanding we got to where we are today because of the fact that everyone sacrificed, all of us, collectively sacrificed. business owners are saying at least we're starting to get people to come back into our establishments and even though in many cases it is in modification, meaning you can't have full capacity. >> reporter:ia say they have given almost $9 million in grants to small businesses throughout alameda county to try and help support them during the shutdowns. but they point out the best support is for customers to come back as they open more and more. so keep these businesses in mind in these coming days. we do expect the announcement from the state later today about whether these counties will cross over to the red tier. live in berkeley, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> amy, thank you. a final house vote on

president biden's covid-19 relief plan will likely come tomorrow f this is passed, $1400 stimulus checks for many americans could hit bank accounts by the end of the month. this comes as a cdc releases new guidelines, fully vaccinated people can now gather family an friends without masks. if grandparents are fully vaccinated, for example, they can visit and hug family as long as everyone is low risk. but one thing the cdc is still urging against, nonessential travel. vaccinated people should still wear masks and socially distance when in public. new at 6:00, airline and business groups are asking the biden administration to create these so-called vaccine passports to help revive the travel industry. they're calling for a set of credentials that would let travelers show they have been tested and vaccinated for covid-19 to allow for more travel. airlines say the cdentls widely accepted. according to the airlines, u.s.

airlines are using $150 million a day. the governor will deliver his annual state of the state address today, virtual, and the governor will be doing this at dodger stadium in l.a., which is currently a mass vaccination site. his address today comes as we get encouraging news about our state's vaccine supply. >> 320,000 j&j vaccines arriving in california this week. we received just 21,000 last week. and i'll just say this, if there is a vaccine i'm looking forward to, when it comes, it is the j&j vaccine, that's personal. when it is my turn. but that's single dose. one and you're done. >> governor newsom says more than 10.5 million people have already been vaccinated in california, and that includes a huge boost among educators. with 210 vaccinated last week. that's exceeding the state's goal of 75,000. the governor says the total will go a long way in helping getting schools back open. you can watch the governor's state of the state address on our connected tv app.

we'll be streaming it there starting at 6:00 tonight. you can download that app now on your apple tv, android tv, amazon fire tv and roku. search for abc 7 bay area. today the san francisco school board will be meeting to discuss the return to in person learning. then on thursday school board members will have a public meeting to vote on an agreement to get kids back on campus next month. according to the district, 66 early education sites and early elementary schools are expected to reopen on april 12th. special education students in elementary schools with moderate or severe disabilities will also be starting on that day. the number of in person days will depend on how many families are willing to return. schools with just a few requests will have full in person days. >> i do have a student in pre-k, moderate severe special day class or county school and choose to return to in person learning, your child will attend five days a week. >> it is expected that most if not all teachers will be vaccinated by april 12th.

marin is one of the few counties where kids are already getting the classroom experience. so is it helping them get back on track? we're digging into that tonight at 6:00 and all week abc 7 news is featuring stories about the learning loss students have been experiencing over this last year. you'll also find all of our stories online and social media and wherever you stream. jury selection resumes this morning in the trial of the former minneapolis police officer charged with killing george floyd. it got delayed yesterday because of an peffort to reinstate dere chauvin's charge. jobina has more. >> proceeding resumed a little more than an hour ago. lawyers are sparring over reviving a third degree murder charge against derek chauvin, the former minneapolis police officer who was seen on video around the world kneeling on george floyd's neck. chauvin was in court yesterday. he was seen taking notes with a navy suit on and also a black

face mask. he's pleaded not guilty to second degree murder and manslaughter charges. abc news chief legal analyst dan abrams is on "gma" this morning explaining what his defense will try to argue. >> going to hear them say that the cause of death very well may have been drug use, and underlying medical conditions, rather than the incident itself. i think they're also going to hear them argue on this question of intentional assault that he was, even if you think he went too far, still acting within the scope of his police work. >> minneapolis remains under tight security with fortified fencing and concrete barriers up around the courthouse prepared for protests, some of which we showed you here live yesterday on abc 7 mornings. and again today, the eyes of the nation will be back on minneapolis. reggie? >> thank you, jobina. a judge permanently droppedo breonna taylor. kenneth walker faced attempted murder of a louisville police

officer. he fired a single shot when they were searching a -- serving a search warrant at taylor's apartment last year. walker said he thought intruders were breaking in. taylor was shot and killed by the return fire. one officer pleaded not guilty to shooting through taylor's home into another apartment. this saturday marks the one year anniversary of that incident. still ahead, the legal battle twitter is taking on after banning former president trump. how the lawsuit involves the state of texas. >> we're going to show you the new technology that developers say can detect unconscious bias. it could change workplaces for the better. and check out live doppler 7 over the last hour, you can see the showers, even embedded thunderstorm marching towards just about all of our neighborhoods along the coast. so if you're going to have some issues that take you outside today, be prepared to get wet as more waves of showers and thunderstorms with small hail and snow are headed

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that umbrella, let's see how heavy a coat you need as we head out the door. temperatures mainly in the mid to upper 40s along the east bay shore. 51 in oakland and 40 in castro valley. even some 30s up in the north bay with fog, 39 in pleasanton. everybody else pretty much in the mid to upper 40s. all of us have a chance today and tomorrow for thunderstorms. let's take a look at today's forecast. and you can see as we head through the morning commute, more waves of showers, we'll try to get a little bit of a break during the early afternoon hours before another potential wave moves in as we round out the end of the evening commute. he of the wet weather, the most widespread is supposed to be tonight while most of us are sleeping. and did you see all that snow on

hamilton, we could wake up to several inches tomorrow. rainfall today through tomorrow morning. possibly getting up around a quarter to three-quarters of an inch. jobina? thank you, mike. good morning, everyone. we're going to begin with a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. my sensors are showing it is getting a little busier. i want to get an image of the live camera there. no mitering lights on yet. google maps is telling us it will take about 13 minutes to get from the toll plaza across the bay bridge and into san francisco. checking on the south bay here, live at 101 in san jose, very clear conditions all across the south bay this morning. you can see everything is moving at the limit. i want to bring in the map to point out a couple of things i'm following right now. we have a new crash in pleasanton. that is not causing the slowdown because it is in the countercommute direction, on eastbound efe san ramon road. but it is involving a big rig and injuries have been reported at least one lane is blocked and then moving over to the north

bay now the chp is reporting roadway flooding on northbound 101 before lucky drive. this has been here all morning long. about a foot of water across all of the lanes, this is not rain related. they haven't given us an exact cause though. also just a heads up for anyone moving in and around the north bay, especially nearby novato. we have some heavy fog in the area as well. >> thank you, jobina. coming up, the allegations of racial bias at facebook when it comes to hiring employees and the investigation under way. plus, the events leading up to this violent brawl at a bath and body works store. two women charged for instigating that fight. as we head to break, a live look outside, hopefully something much more peaceful. yes, cleanse your soul after watching that. watching that. we'll be right back.

the families of the victimsr

derick almena exactly how they feel. almena's plea agreement was finalized in court. he faced dozens of family members appearing by zoom yesterday. and they delivered emotional impact statements to the judge and to almena himself. 36 people died in that fire in december of 2016. and andy kershaw's wife amandia was among them. >> everybody's devastated. there is a very big feeling that the judicial system failed in this case. it is a broken system. >> almena pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in january. he received a 12-year sentence, but will get credit for time served and good behavior. so he's not going back to prison, and instead will be serving a year and a half of home detention and three years of probation. okay, this is not what we ll-on brawl out at a bath & body works over the

weekend, in customers, workers, everybody apparently got involved in this. the person who was filming it says that it aparentally started when one woman cut another in line. now, both women are facing assault and disorderly conduct charges. >> i hope the employees don't get in trouble. it seemed like they were trying to have each other's backs. >> okay. >> and hair. and aprons. twitter versus texas. the san francisco-based company is suing the attorney general of texas over what they say is a retaliatory investigation. after the deadly riot at the capitol in january, ken paxton announced an investigation into twitter and four other major tech companies for banning former president trump. well, now twitter is claiming paxton wants to punish the company for taking trump's account offline. twitter says paxton is misusing the powers of his office. now to facebook facing a federal investigation, according to

reuters, the equal employment opportunity commission is alleging racist hiring practices by the social media company. the commission opened a systemic probe claiming that company policies may contribute to widespread discrimination. it comes after a black employee filed a complaint last year. he said his job was to recruit people of color to work for facebo.hnogys h companie detect , cu mage. the data security company text iq released what it walled an unconscious bias detector. this program uses artificial intelligence to analyze how managers evaluate their employees and if they're being fair. >> the machine could say, hey, when this reviewer is reviewing this particular group, they tend to use language that they don't use when they review a different group. when you talk about women, you refer to how they have a bubbly and energetic personality or certain traits about their personality as opposed to their work product and when you're reviewing men, you talk about their work product.

>> the technology was developed with ethics leaders and consultants to help build a solution to detecting unconscious bias. it is available to companies right now for free. part of building a better bay area is fighting for racial and social justice. to find your ally, go to abc7news.com/takeaction. how cool is that? >> yeah. >> that's awesome. can you wave? yea! >> all right, i love this. new at 6:00, that airport employee busting out a flawless juggling performance for that young traveler. this was at the sioux falls airport in south dakota over the weekend. the mother who filmed it wrote this lady is my hero. thank you for making traveling so fun. this is not shade, but in sioux falls, they have time. at the airport. what? >> did you have to say this is not shade. just own the shade. >> this is very shady. but in sioux falls, they got

time. >> like anybody's going to say anything, reggie, if you throw shade. come on. it's expected nowadays? all right. let's take a look at what's going on outside, we have some showers along the peninsula coast, getting a little cozy there. so expect it to continue to get wetter as we head through the next half hour alnt and that's heading over towards 101. your commute is about to get a little dicier. here say look at san rafael, you see a few sprinkles coming down, we had .08 of an inch of rain. here is a look at the golden gate. thankfully the winds are fairly light, about 8 miles per hour. chilly, wintry showers increase today. heaviest will be tonight when we have several inches of snow on hamilton. and spring warmth returns this weekend as we spring forward and lose that hour of sleep. today's temperatures from 52 in half moon bay to fairfield at 58. and for tonight, about the same as this morning, 30s in the

stnhe ls. valley. tomorrow, ev the threat of thunderstorms once again with lightning and hail being theigst let's start youan see we are going to be wet for the morning commute. and showers will continue through the lunch hour, now as we head into the evening commute, you can see they start to lose their intensity and their numbers and by the time we get to the evening hours, they are gone. so if the heaviest of the rain falls tonight what to expect tomorrow. about another quarter to a third of an inch of rain. that's why the storm is a 1 on the storm impact scale. 60s return everywhere except the coast by friday and continue through the weekend. be careful out there. here's reggie and kumasi. >> mike, thank you. now we turn to ginger zee to see what's happening at 7:00 on "good morning america." hi, ginger. >> hi, reggie, hi, kumasi, nice to be with everybody this morning. we have so muchtuesy.'ll srt wh the encouraging headline from

the cdc saying that fully vaccinated people can have small gatherings without masks. that means some grandparents are going to see their grandkids. president biden's nearly $2 trillion covid relief bill is heading to the house for a final vote. when will you see the stimulus check though, that's the question everybody's got. we'll have the answer. also, the eyes all on minneapolis for the trial of former police officer derek chauvin who is charged in the death of george floyd. well, this morning, the argument over the decision to reinstate a third degree murder charge. we're going to hear from dan abrams on the law and hear from floyd's sister. the new fallout this morning with harry and meghan. a little bit more fed to us, the queen holding emergency talks with princess charles -- princes charles and william. and we'll hear more from the couple. it is all coming up with so much more. jennifer garner too, right here on "gma." >> and facts, you're telling us how cold february was. that was stunning. >> yes. coldest in more than 30 years

for the nation. and obviously now we're warming right up. so -- >> thank goodness. that's something. climate change is real, y'all. ginger, we'll see you at 7:00 and

today leaders will consider a resolution that could make the berkeley home where vice president kamala harris grew up a historic landmark. the resolution would allow homes of historic residents to be given landmark status. currently rules only give that title to places where historic events took place. if this passes, an application for harris' home would need approval from the city council and the landmarks commission. the two first dogs of the biden family are back at their home in delaware this morning after an aggressive biting incident with white house security. sources say that it involved the younger german shepherd, major, happened last week. the condition of the white house security member is unknown. 3-year-old major is first shelter dog to be at the white

house. he's reportedly displayed agitated behavior, at s meers. the older biden dog, champ, is 13, and is much calmer because of his arouy opening a series of projects t one of california's most cherished species y. you could once find monarch butterflies going up and down the golden coast. but deforestation and modern farming put them on the brink of extinction. only an estimated 2,000 are left in the state. teams of wildlife groups are rushing to plant milk weed, nectar and various trees to help them survive. and a new animal shelter just opened in san francisco's mission district. the facility on bryant and alameda is state of the art. it has a modernized vet suite, better ventilation, and more nita cst there i ao a area for adoptions. animal care and control takes thousands of animals a year from dogs and cats to pelicans and

raccoons, and they're having a much nicer facility to do so. >> good for them. coming up next, the uc school that is offering to pay students who do not travel for spring break. also, tracking the vaccine rollout, one bay area county opting out of the state's blue shield program. the concerns it is raising this morning. as we head to break, let's take a live look outside now at these are real people, not actors, who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent. dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups.

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add comcast business securityedge. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. now at 6:30, back to school in berkeley. the school district announcing the options for in person or distance learning and parents need to make a decision fast. as long as you keep it pretty small, i think it is fine. >> plus, we're hearing from a oi cdc's new guidelines for vaccinated people. and supporters of the effort to recall governor newsom say they have enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

t those coming to his defense. good morning, everyone. it is tuesday, march 9th, we'll get a check on the forecast with mike, we're expecting a rainy commute, mike. >> yes, much more than yesterday, kumasi. reggie, hi, everybody. yesterday was up in the north bay. today, all of us get wet from this 1 on the storm impact scale. as the low moves closer and closer it moves waves of showers and thunderstorms at us that could have downpours, lightning, hail, graupel and snow level down to 3,000 feet. we'll see a few inches on hamilton. here say look at live doppler 7, light to moderate rain marching eastward, almost complete vertical north to south line there. this is the way it looks from the east bay hills. you can see how fuzzy it looks with that rain just off shore about to move on. so expect increasing rain as we head through the morning commute, with upper 30s to mid-40s. showers and thunderstorms, waves of them the rest of the day. look how chilly it is going to be. only low to mid-50s at noon,

4:00 and barely 48 to 51 at 7:00. we're going to do it again tomorrow. so got a lot to look at on future radar coming up. kumasi? >> thank you, mike. we will be finding out today if more bay area counties will be taking the next step in reopening. right now, five bay area counties are currently in the red tier and five others including santa cruz are in the more restricted purple tier. alameda and selaolano county officials, that would mean indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters partially ly reopenin. so -- >> no maskz as and hugs are bac. the cdc is out with new guidelines. jobina has more. >> thank you. so here is what the cdc saying you can do. two weeks after a final dose, fully vaccinated people can

gather indoors in small groups without masks or social distancing. those who are vaccinated can also gather with another unvaccinated household without masks as long as the unvaccinated group is at low risk for serious illness. that includes grandparents visiting grandchildren. the agency still recommends that fully vaccinated people should still wear masks, avoid large gatherings and physically distance themselves from others when out in public. >> as long as you keep it pretty small, i think it is fine. i wouldn't get a large group together multiple families, that's where it starts getting risky. but other than that, i think you can in reasonably careful and have been, i think you can get together pretty normally. >> the cdc is still discouraging unnecessary travel, the new guidelines don't include new recommendations for visiting restaurants, and other establishments that have recently reopened. >> thank you, jobina. thousands of people receive theci at coliseum site

will not have to do a redo despite potentially getting less than the recommended dose. state health officials say it happened during vaccinations on february 28th and march 1st. officials say the doses were still within the required range. 6300 out of a total of 133,000 people who were vaccinated at that site possibly received the lower dose shot. anyone potentially affected will get a letter from the state. as a bay area ramps up its vaccine rollout, one local county is skipping the state's blue shield program. abc 7 news learned santa clara county has serious concerns about that program. it is centered around the vaccine supply. our media partners at the mercury news reports only one county signed on so far. they were set to take over the vaccination program by the middle of the month. bay area leaders are calling for the state to change its new vaccination distribution plan. this strategy meant to address equity allocates 40% of california's vaccine splncome z.

but just 2% of residents in those priority zip codes live in the bay area, despite accounting for 20% of the state's population. and all of santa clara county was left off the list. >> one of the things we want to make sure of is that any indices that go forward, anything used by the state to determine eligibility is one that really recognizes the unique look of poverty. >> san francisco's mission and bay view districts were also not on the priority list. >> a deadline is quickly approaching for parents of elementary school students in berkeley. they have until thursday to decide if they're going to send their kids to the classroom or keep them at home. amy hollyfield is live outside berkeley arts magnate school. >> reporter: parents need to decide are they ready to see their kids walking through the hallways again. it has been a year, but now it is time for them to decide.

this is for elementary schools in berkeley. young children, those parents need to know they have an important deadline coming up. here is what the new plan looks like. parents can choose an on campus plan, five days a week option, or they can continue distance learning for the rest of the year. tk through 2nd grade would return to the classroom in three weeks on march 29th. and then third through fifth graders will go back in five weeks on april 12th. they're still working out the details. they will have to move some students to a different teacher and class and they had so far this year. so they need parents to let them know by noon this thursday if they plan to send their kids back to school or keep them home so they can start working out those new classrooms. district officials say they're able to reopen because of the vaccination program that has been offered here in aboutlberk. teachers will be tested for covid every two week and they're working on a plan now to get

students tested as well. reporting live in berkeley, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you, amy. final passage of president biden's $1.9 trillion covid relief bill will likely happen tomorrow and there have been some changes. first, fewer americans will be eligible for stimulus checks. only people who make $75,000 or less will be getting $1400. anyone earning over $80,000 will get a smaller amount. and weekly unemployment benefits have been reduced from $400 to $300. now, the single republican in either chamber voted in support of this bill. the white house says americans can expect to see those checks by the end of the month. happening today, hazard pay could be coming to some san francisco frontline workers. the board of supervisors will vote on a proposal to give an extra $5 per hour to people working at grocery and retail stores with pharmacies. supervisors are expected to pass the bill, they join other bay area cities like oakland, santa clara and berkeley who have

similar pandemic paid booths. arthe board will consider a proposal today to introduce or wave health inspection fees. it targets small businesses with fewer than 35 employ0 employees. >> this will result in money staying in our local economy, helping our small businesses remain in operation, retain their employees, and begin to rebuild after an extraordinarily difficult year. >> moving money from the general fund would help to offset the income short fall for the county. supervisors say right now 3600 food facilities in santa clara county are temporarily closed and a thousand have shut down permanently. ahead of the state of the state address it appears almost certain he's headed for a recall vote. organizers say they have almost 2 million signatures to get the petition on the ballot.

they only need 1.5 million to be officially verified by next wednesday. supporters say there is a reason governor newsom is choosing to reopen the state now. >> it is no coincidence. it is his political plan, political survivorship, he should have done this eight months ago. and without any checks and balances. >> now another nationally known politician bernie sanders is coming to the support of newsom yesterday tweeting, right wing republicans in california are trying to recall gavin newsom for the crime of telling people to wear masks and for listening to scientists during covid. coming up, new developments in the royal family fallout. oprah's interview aired in the uk last night. what the queen has reportedly refused to do. and we are looking live right new at the big board at the new york stock exchange. another update on how the markets are doing next. right now, up 100 points.

after that, winter weather disaster in texas, which caused the massive power outage, tesla is stepping in, how the company plans to get involved in the power business. time is 6:38. we're checking in with mike. >> thank you, kumasi, reggie, hi, everybody. let's start up north in lake and mendocino counties, lake county, coldest part of the system producing snow already and several inches are possible through tomorrow. you can see from santa rosa down 101 to the golden gate bridge to the the way way down the peninsula coast through santa cruz to cap tollia. you can see a little bit of sprinkles to light rain, little bit of fog also around san rafael. we look south, thickest fog in novato. quarter mile visibility. your commute planner just deteriorates as we head through the morning commute with that rain movie ing marching across r neighborhoods. get ready for wet slippery

conditions. all of us is a chance of lightning, small hail, could accumulate under some of our heavier thunderstorms with some brief gusty downpours and some brief locally gusty winds. you can see the line as we head up to the lunch hour, it is mainly moved off to the east. there could be a little bit of a lull midafternoon before, look at this, as we head through the evening commute, another line, more impressive line moves through. look at all that snow at 11:00 tonight. falling on mount hamilton. as we wake up tomorrow morning, it is going to be slippery. a few spots of standing water and more scattered showers. a little lighturomorw morning's commute than what falls during the nighttime hours. so as we head through the evening commute, just about all of us will be touched by wet weather. and the heaviest of the showers looks likely tonight. look at that. anywhere from a third of an inch to two thirds of an inch possible. that's why tomorrow's morning commute more concerned with weatherwise than this morning's. but i bet we have issues out there that jobina can tell us about even this morning.

hi, jobina. >> hi, mike. thank you. yes, i just want to reiterate what mike washings have been al right for the commute so far this morning, it is going to pick up. slick conditions and also low visibility in the north bay. we're going to take a live look outside now starting in walnut creek, showing off 680 for you all. traffic has been light in this area this morning. as you move over to the bay bridge toll plaza, mitering lights came on at 6:22. once you make it through the lights, you have a clear ride to san francisco. the backup, while it is there, is not as bad. we know it can be much worse. looking at the maps here, i want to point out a problem i've been following all morning long as roadway flooding. before lucky drive, we have about a foot of water across all the lanes, this is not related to the rain. we're not exactly clear on what caused this. but it has been slowing down traffic off and on there throughout the morning.

heads up around novato, marin, san rafael [ sfx: ding ding ding ] [sfx: bing bing bing ] [sfx: bloop bloop bloop ] [ sfx: bing bloop ding ding bloop bing ] the day can wait.

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uc davis is encouraging students to stay in town for spring break by paying them. the university is setting aside $56,000 for the program. only 750 students will be able to take home $75 each. they have to submit a proposal and a formal application to be considered for a spring break grant. >>ms called a get active grant. another one is get artsy grant, home improvement grant and let's stay in grant. they are each linked to a different business in the davis

community where students who receive the grant can pick up a gift card at the store location. >> students who are accepted for the program must also be tested for covid at least once during the spring break week. a new report shows that people are itching to travel. according to the american express global travel trends report, 64% of people miss traveling so much that, get this, they would be willing to give up social media for a whole month to go on vacation. wow. people are booking trips now even if they might have to cancel it in the future and the rise of the digital nomad is here. more than half say the freedom and flexibility of being able to live and work while traveling is more appealing now than it was before the pandemic. now to the fallout from prince harry and meghan markle's interview with oprah. buckingham palace still has yet to comment, but reports this morning say the queen held an emergency meeting with prince charles and william yesterday. abc news reporter julia

mcfarland is in london with the reaction. >> reporter: the uk is reeling from the scale of the bombshell that finally arired on tv last night, sending shock waves throughout the country. fact that meghan was driven to suicidal thoughts and refused help was also met with widespread outrage. there hasn't been a singular response, a lot of people, some conservative politicians and commentators condemning the interviews as being damaging and impertinent to the queen. there is a generational gap, younger parts of the population are very supportive of meghan and harry. so far no response yet from the palace. some royal commentators speculating the royals may choose to have a dignified silence. this morning the times of london reporting the queen last night refused to sign off a prepared statement that officials hoped might help de-escalate tensions by highlighting the family's love and support for the couple. the queen was believed to want more time to consider her response. julia mcfarland, abc news,

london. now to your morning money report, tesla is getting into the texas power market. bloomberg is reporting a subsidiary of the electric car company is building a megabattery in texas, 40 miles south of houston. bloomberg says this battery is so large, it can power 20,000 homes on a hot summer day. this is coming after last month's massive winter storm that caused widespread power outages throughout texas. now let's take a live look at the new york stock exchange as trading get nrz ws under way drop boxes san francisco headquarters has just been sold. according to the chronicle, the mission bay building is setting a record of nearly $1.1 billion. this sale is expected to close before next month. last fall drop box announced it is shifting to permanent remote work. it has offices in seattle, austin and dublin, ireland. going to take you live to oakland right now where sky 7 is

live over a fire at 12th street and 17th avenue. you can see a lot of units have now responded and it looks like they are also perhaps blocking off some traffic above the fire. don't know a whole lot about this right now. this initially came in as possibly an encampment re we're still looking ior avo th around 12th street and 17th avenue in oakland as there are a lot of crews in that area trying to put this out. an exhibition paying tribute to the work of vincent van gogh is becoming the hottest ticket in town. this is happening in san francisco's svn west facility. it already sold 103,000 tickets ahead of the march 18th opening. the museum is making its west coast debut, opening in an old music venue. the curators say it is a one of a kind experience. >> we have an incredible digital exhibition here, we have 40

projectors, digitally mapping animated versions of van gogh's art work on to the walls that you see. we are so excited to be able to bring this exhibition here to san francisco. >> the van gogh exhibition is scheduled to run through labor day and i know that sounds like a lot of time, and it is, but these are timed tickets. it is limited per hour because of social distancing, how many people can be there, so check it out if you want to get in. >> it looks beautiful. >> it does. that's my favorite artist. love van gogh. >> i didn't know that. okay. >> yeah. things got a little weird in his life, but -- he sure made some pretty paintings. >> reggie recommends van gogh. now it is going to be sold out. it is going to be even harder. >> not because of me. >> thanks, reggie. oh, man. let's talk about what's going on weatherwise, painting green on the map this morning. live doppler 7, sprinkles to light rain getting more likely

as we head through the next half hour to 45 minutes along the peninsula on both sides. you can see it goes right across the golden gate, right up 101 to santa rosa. here say look at some of the drops becoming more numerous on the golden gate bridge camera. the rain falling in san rafael. already .08. so far it hasn't made it to the bay side of san francisco. nothing in our bucket on our roof camera. wintry showers today, and tomorrow. downpours, lightning, hail, graupel, accumulating snow, especially on hamilton. coldest morning, low in the 30s thursday and friday morning. then we have warmer afternoons on the way. all the way through the weekend. today, 52 to 58. that is it for highs today, up to 10 degrees cooler than average. tonight, a lot like this morning, more rain, though. but temperatures in the upper 30s in the north bay valleys, low to mid-40s elsewhere. tomorrow, just like today, all of us have a chance of thunderstorms. let's look at future radar, waking up, plenty of leftover showers and plenty of leftover

moisture on our streets. showers continue through the noon hour, they los a little intensity and notice as we head through the evening hours, we lose a lot of coverage. and by the time we wake up thursday amount of rain tonight, what are we going to get tomorrow? and you can see anywhere from a tenth to possibly another quarter of an inch, possibly a third in the north bay. one today, one tomorrow, chilly morning thursday and friday. look at the afternoons friday and saturday, a little warmer than average. and daylight saving begins, sunsetting after the 7:00 hour when we lose an hour of sleep saturday night. reggie? oh, man! >> conditions on the island of maui have been pretty heavy rains caused a dam to overflow, forcing people who live nearby to leave. this is in the community of haiku, not far from the famous road to hana. tourists are being urged to stay in their hotel rooms.

marin county residents have a chance to comment on the possible name change to sir francis drake boulevard.ringset meeting. today san anselmo plans to vote on the issue. fairfax voted to change the rain. rockies bor r oxboro and ross decided to keep it. there is a new way to get vaccinated in california, even if you're not in an eligible group yet. volunteers are needed at vaccine sites. so you can go do anything from helping to check people in for their appointments to monitoring people if they have a reaction. if you work for four hours, you would be eligible for a dose of the vaccine. >> it will still be up to site where you volunteer to validate you've done the work and to make sure they have enough supply to meet all of the eligible folks to receive the vaccine. >> after a year of so much

uncertainty, and negativity and just upheaval all around, it was nice to do something that felt so positive. >> if you're interested in signing up to volunteer, we have a link on our website, abc7news.com. now right now there are not too many available volunteer spots, but more are expected to open up as more vaccine sites get up and running and things smoos smooth relief grants to musicians who have been sidelined by the pandemic. >> there is a large music community here. it is pretty popular to have a variety of concert series, small and large all throughout sonoma county and the region. and so this is an attempt, a small step toward helping to support those. >> grant funding is coming from the live at juilliard concert series canceled last year. santa rosa plans to award 18 grants worth $2,000 each and

winning musicians will be notified in may. apple is retiring what used to be its most powerful computer. the company announced it is diskinning its imac pro and won't be available once existing inventory runs out. they released the imac pro in 2017. at the time, the computer featured advance tech for graphic artists. the computer hasn't been updated in a few years. apple says the mac pro now exceeds the capabilities of the imac pro. happy birthday, barbie, the doll is celebrating 62 years today. barbie first debuted at the american international toy fair in new york on march 9th of 1959. and her boyfriend ken came along two years later. barbie has a bunch of friends and fans, she had a lot of careers too. she had more than 150 careers from presidential candidate, astronaut, dentist, computer programmer, flight attendant and more. >> you know what i got into was strawberry shortcake.

>> i don't know about that. >> you don't? you don't know her? you really don't know her? >> am i being judged? >> no, not at all. but she had hair that smelled like strawberries. >> no. >> one named lemon meringue and she smle likend the evil oneasedour gr muffin. >> see? i don't know about that. that sounds like that was a happy part of your childhood. >> well, i didn't actually own any because i had >> we know how you feel about he-man. >> wherever you are you can get our live newscast, breaking news, weather and more with our new abc 7 bay area app on apple tv, android tv, fir e tv and roku. search abc 7 bay area and you can download it for

don't miss out on the grand opening of floor and decor in pleasant hill! our expansive store is fully equipped with safe distancing guides, so you can browse our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection. or easily order online, and pick up all the products you need for your flooring project curbside! so come discover the perfect floor at the perfect price in whatever way is perfect for you.

explore floor and decor's newest east bay area location march 18th, or shop our milpitas, burlingame or san leandro stores, now open.

it is 6:57. if you're just joining us, here are the seven things to know this morning. number one, breaking news, fire crews are working a fire that is burning near 12th street and 17th avenue in oakland. we know it is near some b.a.r.t. tracks and interstate 880. a lot of smoke coming from that area. it does appear to be a site of a homeless camp, so we will keep you updated as soon as we get more information on this. number two, taking a live look right now at our oakland 880 at the coliseum camera there. on the right-hand side, those are the northbound lanes and everyone is beginning to slowly come to a stop. that is because of the emergency crews fighting that fire there. speeds are tracking around 16 miles per hour. also b.a.r.t. is experiencing a 20-minute delay in all directions due to the fire near the track way between the lake myriad and fruitville stations.

two more bay area counties could move into the red tier today. alameda and solano counties are expected to advance. that means indoor dining will be allowed. museums, gyms and movie theaters will open inside. number four, the berkeley school district announced the return of in person learning. parents of elementary students will choose either an on campus, five day learning model or distance learning for the rest of the school year. number five, governor newsom will give his annual state of the state address tonight. he'll speak from dodger stadium, a vaccination site, you can watch it live at 6:00 p.m. on our streaming apps for apple tv, android tv, amazon fire tv and roku. just download the app by searching abc 7 bay area. number six, we have a light storm that will bring us waves of showers and thunderstorms with hail, snow, and even some brief downpours. number seven, uc davis encouraging students to stay in,

to be considered for this grant. can you even buy a uc davis sweatshirt for $75? >> that's not good morning, america. vaccination nation. the glimmer of hope across the country. eransow topping the numberated of those infected with coronavirus. the cdc issuing new guidelines for those fully vaccinated. how you can safely reunite with friends and family without wearing masks. and the key question, when can vaccinated grandparents see their grandchildren without the risks? when it comes to travel, why the agency is saying not so fast as concerns grow over scenes like this. spring breakers packing into bars and restaurants, no masks in sight. delay in the trial of former minneapolis officer derek chauvin accused of killing george floyd.

the argument over the decision to reinstate a third degree