today in the bay. good morning. it's about 5:00. thank you for joining us. i'm marla in for laura. >> the rain could impact your commute. we will get a look at the roads with rob taking the forecast. it's starting to come down. >> it is. what you will notice is that the temperatures are barely inching upwa upward. chilly temperatures through noon and eventually 50s. it will feel cool and that is wet from san francisco to oakland. seeing heavy rain moving in from the south and mike starting to seat rain in san jose. that could cause issues. >> approximate are despite the big rain, those speeds are okay and we got a report from chp, roadway flooding and you are talking about the rain coming through. that connector is typical, but

the northbound flow looking all right as far as the speeds go. it's friday so we will have a lighter volume. slick roadways and the summit is tough to see in spots and the golden gate bridge. we will show you the water will cause an issue for travel as water kicks off in front of the car ahead of you. back to you. >> regulators are ordering pg&e to reduce pressure and two of the natural gas lines. today in the bay's bob redell is live in milpitas. these are gas lines customers rely on to heat homes. >> both are here in the south and east bay. that runs from here in mill pit as near 237 through fremont. the other is 153 that runs

between fremont and oakland. the california public utilities ared a 20% reduction in pressure until the lines can be reinspected with weak wells. this won't affect residential service and people will be able to heat homes. it's businesses that might see their service reduced. this is all tied to the gas pipeline explosion in san bruno. the past september that killed eight people and destroyed 37 homes. a few day ago it raised questions about the wells on the pipeline that blue up. turns out that some sections were only weld on the outside and not the outside and inside. that is considered safer. regulators reduced pressure in lines like 131 and 153 installed around the same time using similar welding techniques. the pressure must be reduced

until the lines are reinspected through a water pressure test, x-rays, cameras and robots. it could take months. pg&e checked the forecast and estimated the levels of demand and based on that information are saying they do not see this reduction in pressure having any effect on residential customers in the south and east bay. it might be businesses who see their service affected. live in milpitas, today in the bay. >> thank you, bob. >> several northern california hooters's restaurants could be in hot water. the national organization for women has filed complaints against hooters in san francisco, san bruno, sacramento and orange county. the sacramento-based group claims the restaurant is breaking the law by providing sexual entertainment to people under the age of 18. the group's president said sexual entertainment businesses have to check id at the door.

kplants are filed with the district attorney and attorney general offices. >> a warning for people in palo alto to be aware of their surroundings after a robber held up two people in the driver of a home on marion avenue at 9:00 last night. the man approached the victim's car and took out a hand gun and demanded their wallets he got into a white honda accord that was waiting. the robber may be responsible for eight similar robbers in neighbors around embarcadero road. they are urning people to be aware of their surroundings, especially during the evening. the teenager that is accused of setting a school on fire is expected in court to enter pleas. they are expected to be tried as adults. the july fire caused $10 million in damage to trace elementary school in san jose. the teens are being held without

bail. >> the sluggish economy may lead to relaxed air pollution rules. they are rolling back standards for trucks, pluses and construction equipment. the move should give businesses more time to replace or upgrade equipment. new rules for cleaner equipment were supposed to start in march, but they will likely start in 2014. clean air advocates say it means more air pollution for californians in low income communities. thousands of people in need will not go hungry in the holidays thanks to the glide foundation. glide and volunteers are set to handout 5,000 bags of groceries this morning between 7:30 and 12:30. it will include fresh poultry, potatoes, bread and vegetables. 300 gap employees will be there to help.

>> a sandwich shop that fell victim will start taking orders again. the planning commission said that ike's can open a larger shop one block from the store that closed in september. the chronicle reports the sandwich shop will be at church and 16th streets in the castro district. the original ike's made them angry because of crowds and long lines. it will likely open in february. >> the americas cup appears to slip between san francisco's fingers. the organizers said san francisco has until today to submit an acceptable bid for the race. the city is on board, but so far the golden gate yacht club is not. with no change, the organizers appear to be moving on. the race ceo is in rhode island this morning talking to officials there. a person close to the talk said negotiations rhode island have intensified. the location of the 2013 regatta is up to the previous winner who

happens to be oracle ceo larry elson. >> we want to wish the palo alto football team good luck. they are playing in the state championship division one. palo alto is undefeat and goes against centennial as a team from southern california. tonight's game is at 7:30 and you can see it on csn california. we want to wish de la salle luck. they will play for the championships. 7:30 also on csn california. >> the bay area bracing for another round of storms. we expect heavy rain and gusty winds. a lot of communities are preparing the best they can. christie smith is live in berkeley with a look at the conditions. it was raining a short time ago, but it looks like it stopped. >> we are seeing sprinkles here and it's not windy and the heavy stuff has not hit us. i'm liking the storm because it

hasn't dumped on us yet. we are here near frontage road where you see street pooling and a little bit of light flooding when the rain hits. that hasn't happened yet, but the rain contributed to accidents out on the road overnight. a big rig lost control near the westbound bypass. a truck slid off the freeway and crashed through a fence. the driver was treated for minor injuries. meantime pretty much all over the bay area including a place like redwood city, sandbags are out for home and business owners. here in redwood city, heavy rain and high tide may contribute to street flooding. neighbors are being encouraged to get the sandbags early and protect garages. signs are out in the road that say flooding. you want to be careful when you are out driving. crews are checking streams and

storm drains and reminding neighbors to clear leaves from catch basins and protect your own personal property. that's reporting live in berkeley, christie smith today in the bay. >> definitely something to watch for as you head out this morning. >> wet roads. time to get a check on the commute and there problems in oakland. >> definitely. added conditions northbound around 16th avenue through downtown. there is a disabled vehicle not slow lanes. you are likely to have steering problems. with those conditions, we will watch the commute. it may be lighter, but watch the conditions. >> the other part of the equation, but when is it coming through and what do we pekt? >> christie pointed it out and the bans of showers from south to north. south of san jose, good rain on highway 101 headinging into

oakland. a good sell approaching downtown. christy is up here in berkeley. we will see more rain heading towards her location up towards the north bay. pockets hereof off and on rain. through lunchtime, hit and miss areas of rain. we will start to see heavy rain on the santa cruz mountains for this evening. notice the weekend. it won't be nonstop, but periods of heavy rain at times, especially for the hilltops into sunday and monday. a soggy round of rain for tuesday and wednesday. rain at times and kind of cool. highs in the 40s to mid 50s for highs. the weekend will be windy at times. you will notice that for saturday. it will hold up through wednesday and things continue to get more saturated and localized ponding and flooding issues maybe by the middle of next week. >> thanks a lot. >> 5:10 and new mexico's governor is talking about pardoning a famed bank robber who died in the 1800s.

why the issue is coming up now. >> taking a look at a link between air pollution and autism. what researchers have found. >> now a live look in the bay bridge toll plaza as drivers are not having problems yet making their way into san francisco. more traffic and weather coming up.

welcome back at 5:14 and a live look at san jose. not raining out here now, but rob said the rain is on the way. we will hear from him in a moment. >> threats from north korea who said they will use nuclear weapons if they go to war with the south. the new mexico governor is in north korea to see if he can reduce tensions through a series of talks. richardson was invited by north korea's envoy. the north said it will strike if the south goes through with a live fire drill on the border island. the governor said he received a

formal petition to pardon billy the kid. he set up a website where people can share opinions. some believe he was promised a pardon in return for testimony in a murder trial. he said he will make a decision before he leaves office at the end of the year. >> this morning a new study sai kid who is live near freeways at birth double their risk of autism. researchers in children's hospital los angeles said baby who is live within 1,000 feet of a freeway are at risk. the study suggests kids born around contaminated air are more likely to develop autism. it is a done deal. your taxes will not go up new year a day. congress a proufed president obama's taxdale.

>> the motion is adopted. >> the deal prevents the tax hike that would have cost the family $3,000. it gives tax breaks to businesses and clean energy companies. all at a cost of nearly $900 billion. >> there is probably nobody on this floor who likes this bill. therefore the judgment is, is it better than doing nothing? >> if we don't pass this legislation, there is about to be a $3.9 trillion tax increase on the american people. >> refusing to back a generous tax, some voted no. >> we couldn't afford the $14 billion to give $250 to older people having trouble paying their heating bills. nothing in this bill that is fiscal sanity. it's insanity. >> the senate gave up on the trillion dollar spending bill they have to pass to keep government running past

saturday. >> for those who are not understanding what happened, did we just win? >> we cannot continue to bring props down and giggle about it as they leave the floor. >> a sign of conflict when republicans come to capitol hill in january. >> in washington, tracie potts, today in the bay. >> a curtain call for television icon. legendary host larry king decided to hang up his suspenders for good. >> i don't know what to say except to you. my audience. thank you. instead of goodbye, how about so long. >> after 25 years, larry king bid his audience a final farewell in an emotional and star-studded goodbye. his family joined him on set and special guests were president obama and a taped goodbye. former president clinton, donald trump, tony bennett saying a

song and the 77-year-old king conducted more than 40,000 interviews and recorded about 6,000 shows for cnn. british talk show host pea rs morgan will replace him in january. >> lots of complaints that kids are not learning science and math. scott, you say there is another way to look at it. >> a lot of complaints from kids that they are not teaching science and math interestingly. that and english. i thought you might want to see this class in the small school called global cool of silicon valley. the kids are fired up and preventing they are in charge of trabing and e v tracking and evacuating cities. that's over at nasa. she is egging them on. >> we get to make sure that everything is right.

doing fun math instead of doing boring math with a teacher who is really cool. >> they are working as if it's real that makes it come alive. it's so well worth it. it's an amazing journey so far. >> lots are getting this technology, this one from a local company. as these prices come down and a lot of companies get into the classroom, i mean there tax dollars there. the prices fall further and further and classes are getting this technology and getting the access. >> to be a kid these days. >> talking to nasa scientists is cool. thanks a lot. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> hitting the roads for the holidays including your favorite tunes. one company is looking at what gets people moving. pioneer electricities asks people about their favorite road trip songs. everything from lynyrd skynyrd's

free bird, kiss's i want to rock 'n' roll all night and free falling by tom petty. they did not make the top five. at fooirvegs ac/dc's highway to hell. i get around by the beach boys is 4 and the eagles's take it easy is three, born to be wild is two and the number one song for road warriors is willie nelson's on the road again. >> how many of those do you have on your ipod? >> the eagles, take it easy. i saw them in fact. >> very cool. >> a young minnesota man thought he was doing a good deed when he gave an old lady to the bank. >> turns out the lady robbed the bank and the 26-year-old became her unsuspecting get away driver. the woman rents an apartment from his mother. she told the teller she had a gun, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount.

the woman had a hammer and not a gun. she is in jail pending charges. >> that are brings us full circle. hammer time is not on the list. >> bank robberies you don't want to touch that. we always encourage carpooling so that was the good part. >> there you go. >> let me take to you a sigalert. that's not what we encourage, but we report it when it happens. 30 minutes or more is the official definition. southbound 101 to the tunnel for highway 101 towards marin city. an accident blocking two lanes. the slick roadways allow extra time there. as well as the extra commute. no major issues. 880 with thes a abled vehicle that cleared. the construction zone should be clearing and a live look with the major issue.

wet roads and puddles and the water kicking up. that will get on the windshield whether it's raining or not. if they are on during daylight hours, you have to have the headlights as well. the rainy forecast is coming up. rob as a look at the forecast in a moment. >> a tree with bring.whatak thil and why it's worth millions of dollars. [ male announcer ] how do you say... welcome to the neighborhood. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say... can you believe it's been 20 years since college? ♪ [ male announcer ] nothing says "you're special" like boursin, a creamy, crumbly blend of real cheese and savory herbs,

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good friday morning. chilly start to the morning. we have 40s outside and we have rain which we will show you in a moment. cooler air as winds pick up and more mild air for the afternoon. chilly rain to get it started. not nonstop, but you want to keep the umbrella not just for this morning, but through the seven-day forecast. winds picking up 15 to 35 and gusty rain at times for saturday and more rain at times through the weekend. the morning mute right now with the rain fliing and approaching downtown san jose and another band of showers out of milpitas and fremont. san francisco to oakland and rain passing. a good sell over st. mary's and the east bay with danville and black hawk. rain this morning into the north

bay. as we go hour by hour in terms of rainfall, the bands are rotating through and a bit of a change. the focus of the heavy rain likely to fall and big surf south. you can seat bull a eye and into the weekend, rain off and on at times. you can see in and out of the raindrops. breezy too. totals are impressive for the santa cruz mountains and the hilltops here between now and monday morning. may get up close to five inches of rain. serious rain and in the sierra, a lot of snow. maybe 3 to five feet of snow and as we make our way into next week. highs in the 40s and 50s and the warmer temperatures will see probably arriving by the evening as winds change direction, that will lead to a gusty start to the weekend. you will need that umbrella through wednesday of next week. >> thank you, rob. 5:26 now and the question is what's left to wish for when

your christmas tree is worth $11 million. that's right. the lavishly decorated tree stands inside the emirates palace hotel in abu dhabi. the faux fur is covered in decor made of gold, diamonds and sapphires. the managers say they certify it as the most expensive christmas tree ever. the muslim city is home to many foreign residents who celebrate tree. >> it's a strange place to have that ex-travel gapt of a christmas tree. >> christmas trees are a girl's best friend too. 5:27 and fool's gold. police are looking for a pair of swindlers who pretend to sell a bar of gold. >> an adult business buying its way into the community. how a porn producer is trying to come with the community. otion c. gold bond concentrated therapy.

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i'm christie smith. it will be a wet friday commute. the rain causing problems out on the road. what people are doing to protect their property with the storm. >> a live look outside at the toll plaza. it is december 17th. you are watching today in the bay. good morning. it's 5:30 and i'm marla in for laura. >> a wick check of the forecast. it depends on where you are right now.

>> it's ropeing for place to place this morning. we are going to be in and out all day. a cool day too. you can have a nice umbrella and a heavy coat with highs in the 40s to 50s in terms of the rain. you can cy on the golden gate bridge out by berkeley and across the north bay. we are seeing possibly enough rain to cause ponding issues on the road. >> the usual suspects, 101 at lucky drive. we have an accident that happened about an hour ago. we have chp crews and other crews blocking two lanes. a sigalert has been called as you approach the tunnel. an area that can get congested. speeds okay as you head through the area, but further south an idea of the rainy conditions you were talking about. use caution for everybody. >> thanks a lot, mike. christie smith has more on the rain. she has been out and about in the elements. she is in berkeley and she has the hood back on this time. christie? >> we checked in about 30

minutes ago and it was dry. we were feeling good about it, but our luck ran out. it is starting to rain here in berkeley. we are right near interstate 80 where the under passes see a little street flooding. it hasn't happened yet, but overnight, slick roads, too much for a truck driver and lost control near the bypass in contra costa county. he slit off the road and into a fence. he was treated for minor injuries. in places like redwood city, the sandbags are out. neighbors are encouraged to come out and get them for free. high tides and heavy rain meant street flooding in the past. public works crews have been busy leading into this, clearing creeks and storm drains and overgrown trees and doing whatever they can before the heart of this storm hits. if you are headed out this morning, give yourself extra

time. it's slick and wet and nasty out here. christie smith, today in the bay. >> the next time we see you, the hood will be down again. >> i'm crossing my fingers. >> the state is ordering pg&e to cut pressure before a cold snap hits the bay area. a state regulator said the utility needs to cut pressure by 20% in the oakland and fremont line. it comes days after a federal report blasted the utility for improperly welding the pipe, killing eight people. >> two ekland men will stand trial in the death of chauncy bailey despite the efforts to dismiss them. a judge said they will stand trial for the killing of three men in 20007 and one was chauncy bailey. he is the former leader of the

black muslim bakery. evidence that was favorable to the defense should have been presented to a grand jury last year. >> we have all heard the saying all that glitters is not gold. a san jose woman knows it too well. a camera in a target store shows the elderly woman with two men suspected of selling her fool's gold for $12,000. the unwitting victim withdrew money to buy a bar of gold valued at twice that much. if you have information about these men, you are asked to call san jose police. >> a fareweller is moany is set in the east bay for 100 california national guardsmen on their way to afghanistan. 160 soldiers from the 870th police company will leave for ft. bliss, texas for training tomorrow. they will spend a year in afghanistan conducting security operations. thor is moany is set for 10:30

at diablo valley college. emotions are high over the stabbing death of a newark teenager a few blocks from the school. hundreds gathered at a vigil to share anger and grief over the killing of the 17-year-old. the popular star was stand several times and police are having a difficult time investigating. several people may have seen what happened, but nobody will talk to them. some people think that he was killed for breaking up a fight back in september when he defended a cheerleader from two attackers. >> you want to think twice before drinking and driving in oakland today. officers will be fanning out, looking for drunk drivers. it's part of their avoid the 21 drunk drive driving holiday crack down. it starts today and runs through january 2nd. >> a bay area panning on rafr

wants to be part of the chunt and willing to spend thousands to do it. he owns the armory at 14th and mission streets in san francisco. you might recall protests when he wanted to begin filming there. he wants to turn part into a community center while he continues to produce porn in a different section. he insists the children will not be exposed to xxx content. >> anything naughty is behind several sets of closed doors behind sound curtains. no chance of anything being seen or heard. >> the fire alarm systems are in the works. he plans to hold them once a month and plans to get feedback from the public. >> despite a brutal loss, a 34-7 loss in san diego last night won't go far in helping mike singletary keep his job, but a trip to the playoffs might. they can make it and they need

to beat st. louis next week. that's not all. seattle has to lose the next two game disciplines kansas city must beat the rams. san francisco could find itself in a tie for first place in the division. that's a lot of ifs. the raiders were counting on the niners to win. they would have gone a long way towards playoff hopes. they still have a possibility even though the chargers won. the raiders must win the final three and need san diego to lose to stay in the playoff race. oakland plays sunday at 1:15 at the oakland coliseum. >> bart's new board president is proposing several changes for weekend nights. he wants trains to run 45 minutes to an hour longer past midnight on saturday to help people who are at parties or shows or other events. riders have complained that they cannot take public transit home because bart stops running at midnight.

there several issues that have to be worked out and he thinks it will be worthwhile. speaking of bart, what's going on with public transportation? >> no delays report. great news. bart status with 43 trains on time. especially if you have an outdoor station. still raining out there. rains affecting the roadways and we have a typical build. antioch you see for friday, 5:30 and the speeds are dipping down. l street showing 57 and on average it's below 50 towards horizon. typical build there. lighter volume and a westbound 580 doesn't see major issues. eastbound this afternoon we will start to build as folks head over towards the sierra. locally 880 and 24 and 80. the commute directions approaching the toll plaza. no major issues and the volume increases and wood roads. the glowing light and the water with slick conditions.

>> seeing that in oakland and downtown san jose, the highway 17 commute approaching downtown san jose. mike showed you oakland to san francisco. heavy rain pushing in and this is out towards san rafael. you will find good downpours. walnut creek and you are seeing good rain. mike pointed this out. a lot of snow flying. levels between 4,000 to 5,000 feet. rising closer to 6,000 feet into the weekend. it's not going to be nonstop. it will be off and on between now and monday. once the totals add up, you may see five inches of rain. looks like santa cruz southward will see the heaviest rain. a cool afternoon in and out. 40s and 50s and turning breezy. saturday rain off and on with locally gusty winds on the ghost. sunday a few sunny breaks into monday and another round of the heaviest rain coming in for

tuesday into wednesday of next week. back to you. >> 5:40 now. your tax dollars paying for people waterboarding terror suspects. how much the government is paying on legal fees. >> the results of an fda investigation with mercury in dental fillings and what they say is needed. >> tips to help you politely let your guests know they have overstayed their welcome. >> a live look outside san jose this morning. it is still a little bit dry there. relatively speaking. more is on the way and rob has the latest in the hour by hour forecast. we'll be right back.

>> good morning. a live look outside. this time it's 880 through the east bay. allow extra time. a bit slower and you may run into a few delays. we are tracking the forecast and the traffic commute for you. updates in a few minutes. >> 5:43 right now. what's on your wish list? an ipad, clothing or jewelry? that ring or watch you had your eye on could find its way under the tree. today in the bay's tracy pots is live in washington this morning. jewelry sales are up this year. >> they are and expected to ton go up through the end of the year. the national retail federation here in washington said millions of americans have the urge to splurge on bring this holiday season. the $30 billion industry seemingly making a come back.

typically jowlry is the last industry to bounce back in a recession recovery like the one we are in. that could mean good news overall for the economy. interestingly they find that this year a lot of people will buy not at tiffany's or the finer stores, but wal-mart and target. you may not know, but wal-mart is the largest retailer of jewelry in the country. even given all of that, revenue for jewelry stores is expected to be down a bit. about 2.5%. the profit margins are not as wide as they have been in the past. you are actually getting a better deal. also competition. a lot of it out there. if you want jewelry this holiday season, you are not alone. 23% of us have asked for jewelry this year, up quite a bit from last year. >> thank you very much, tracie potts live in washington this morning. >> turns out your tax dollars

are being used to defend the man accused of torturing trough suspects. the cia agreed to cover the legal fees of two contractors who reportedly waterboarded terrorism suspects more than a dozen times. the secret agreement means taxpayers are paying to defend the men in a federal investigation. the u.s. now defines waterboard as torture. the deal is even more generous than what the cia typically gives their own officers and gives the defendants access to more money to finance the defense. as airports prepare for a busy holiday travel week, a new report shows the federal do not board list is not doing enough to stop people with infectious diseases from boarding flights. "usa today" reports the list failed at least three times to stop people with serious diseases from flying. the cdc said from january of 2009 through august, nine people

on the list tried to board flights. the list stopped six of them successfully, includinga i traveler who was denied boarding last december in san francisco. the list failed to stop three others, all of whom had tuberculosis. i'm marla in for laura. >> i'm brent cannon. when it comes to holiday party, some people don't when it's time to go home. >> lawyer into the wee hours and the woman running the show is in bed and her husband is so tired he is rubbing his eyes, but the guests don't realize or care for that matter. how do you politely give your guests the boot without literally shoving them out the door? we turn to the school of etiquette for help. they came up with several suggestions. >> put an end time on the invitation. three hours is usually a good time limit. then cut them off. stop the flow of food and

liquid. shut down tunes. i guess you turn off the music and lights. offer coffee or tea. i wouldn't offer anything. stand by the front door and offer people their coat. we are talking about the proper etiquette here. sometimes that doesn't work. >> then you have to be honest. you have to say you know what, this has been a really fun time. i hope we get to see you again during the holidays, but i have to be up in the morning early for whatever my commitment is and i'm glad you could come, but i have to close the party down. you have to be diplomatic, but honest. >> back to the party in livermore. the guests left at 2:30 in the morning and made their late departure for the host. >> to do what they are doing with the whole house. i don't have to do it. that's a big plus.

>> i guess it makes it worth it. they will clean up and you can stay the night. >> they start cleaning and they will give you the chore and they'll get the hint and either way you can stay. >> time now is 5:47. we have been talking about rain coming down and it means wet roads. >> everybody has been hit and slick roads continue. we have a sigalert with the early morning accident. the car went off the roadway and there is a crew blocking two lanes. there is a sigalert that continues. the two lanes. watch that no major slowing approaches the area with the 6:00 hour. a lot of folks head south over from the east bay. the bay bridge is moving nicely. the speed sensors approaching the maze and look at this live shot that shows the big issue. we have the water on the roadway and puddling as well as rooster

tailing. that will be an issue as well. >> all sorts of issues. good downpours in a few spots. light to moderate rain and same story into san jose. heavy rain moving away from san francisco into the north bay. mike was talking about the issues on highway 101 this morning. more rain falling there. substantial rain and this line of showers heading off to the north and into the north bay. plenty of rain to go around from healdsberg south. cool temperatures for the morning and 40s for the first half of the day. warmest temperatures by the evening commute as wins start to pick up out of the south. plan on keeping the umbrella on stand by off and on as we look at the rain that could get heavy by tuesday and wednesday. >> thanks a lot, rob. east bay schools are fighting bullying on campus. schools are partnering with the anti-defamation league to increase awareness through

workshops and diversity training it. comes after gay students are committing suicide after being bullied. district leaders want leaders to feel safe. a national report shows one third of students ages 12 to 18 report being bullied at school and 20% said they either cyber bullied others or were cyber bullied themselves. >> when it comes to punishing kids, parents are beginning to see tv and the web as the same. new findings from usc's center for the digital future show that 57% of parents surveyed with held internet access as a form of punishment. that number is double what it was a decade ago. the percentage of parents remained unchanged in the same period. >> no conclusion on whether mercury in dental fillings is safe. more research is needed. last year the food and drug administration said mercury fillings were and did not pose a

health threat. consumer and dental groups said they used flawed data. they said amalgam is for most, but others were more sensitive. more studies are needed to determine the safest level of mercury exposure. today marks an important day for people trying to get packages to where they need to go in time for christmas. ship by today if you want it there by christmas eve or you have to pay a whole lot more. ground shipping must be in today. express shipping can be in by december 23rd, but it's a lot more expensive. fedex does not deliver on christmas day. if you are planning to shop online, today is the perfect day. hundreds of retailers are taking part on free shipping day. merchants offer free shipping

with delivery by christmas. more than 100 signed on to participate. you can find the list on freeshipping.com. >> nothing worse than looking up at your christmas tree all ready to go to find a string of lights is out. it's gadget friday and it's not supposed to happen that way anymore. >> some are on and some are off. it's not supposed to happen because they wire them differently so when bulb goes out, there is a special circuit called a shunt that is supposed to close and keep the whole string of lights lit. you probably experienced that doesn't always work. our gadget is called the light keeper. you plug it in to any non-working strand of lights and it will get the lights working again. it's $18. you can find it on amazon and target. here i have the lights on this

side working again. i know what you are thinking here. how can this possibly work? as it turns out there is a tiny circuit in the bottom that is supposed to take effect if the filament goes out. sometimes because frankly the lights are so cheaply made, it doesn't work. this sends a pulse of electricity through the circuit and completes the circuit and welds it shut and they work. these are great for the prelit wreaths and things. you paid a lot of money for them and the dumb lights go out. you click it in and pull it away and it works fine. >> does it double as a stun gun? >> it does. the circuit is in your grill where you click the button. same technology. if you stick your finger in, you get good depth. >> i could have used it a weak ago. i had to buy a new string of lights, but thanks. >> thanks a lot, scott. by the way, scott will have his

merry band of reporters talking on press here this sunday. you can get a better table at a restaurant or maybe even pass the velvet rope in a nightclub if you tweet a lochlt bars, restaurants and hotels are checking out what you twitter or post on facebook as you make your reservation. join us on press here after "meet the press" on nbc. >> per a former bash brother looking for a new job. jose canseco is trying to get back into baseball. the 46-year-old is not getting calls back so he is tweeting, begs his former boss with the a's to give him a chance. alderson the gm of the mets. canseco posted this video of himself taking batting practice. he said the pitches are coming at 94 miles per hour, but there is no radar to prove it. >> san francisco giants are known as a loveable gang of misfits, but it appears that

somebody is not happy with the defending world championship team and would you believe it's their series mvp. edgar renteria is blasting the game for a deal that he shows a total lack of respect. the 35-year-old was offered a contract worth $1 million. it's the same deal they offered another aging slugger. renteria said he is insulted by the deal. it is a holy mess over at metrodome in minneapolis. new video shows more holes are appearing each day as heavy ice and snow rips through the roof. that means crews aren't sure when they will be able to repair the damage. it's not just the vikings. the football team is on the losing end. more than a dozen events scheduled to take place are in jeopardy. in fact, many of them are being cancelled or moved to other locations. >> what a mess there. time is 5:55. the wet weather is the perfect

excuse to hit your local theater this weekend. if you do go, here's a look at what's opening today. >> the long awaited sequel to the 1982 hit, tron, is set decades later when the son of a software developer goes into a cyber world to find his father. it's rated pg 13. >> yogi bear and boo-boo are back on the big screen. it's up to yog to stop jelly stone park from closing down. yogi bear is rated "pg." >> how do you know if it's love? maybe the actors have the answer in this new romantic comedy. how do you know is rated pg 13. >> 5:56 and sarah palin hints at a run against president obama. how would they stack up head to head? >> wikileaks founder talks to the "today" show's matt lauer.

you will see a preview. >> rain bearing down on the bay area in some places. they are already getting hit. rob is coming back with the forecast next on today in the bay. [ male announcer ] how do you say...

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♪ [ male announcer ] nothing says "you're special" like boursin, a creamy, crumbly blend of real cheese and savory herbs, boursin makes any moment more memorable. even if you're saying... my mother has the kids tonight. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say boursin? >> the rain we have been talking about is here for the friday commute and causing problems on the road. we will show you in a live report.