close to the weekend, july 18th, "today in the bay." kind of closer, sort of, to the weekend, right? >> you can taste it. >> it's wednesday. it's 6:00 out there right now. good morning, everybody. i'm jon kelly. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. we've got a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, where drivers pay $6 every day on their way to work. now there is a proposal to essentially pay a toll, no matter where you go in the bay area. "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live in the south bay to tell us about a tax-per-mile plan. good morning, marla. >> reporter: laura, good morning. we are on the road, live on 101, santa clarita heading northbound. we're on the road with dozens of bay area drivers this morning, who may have to pay even more for their daily drive to work. in fact, no matter where we drive, if this tax goes into effect in the bay area, it would mean that drivers would be taxed up to 10 cents for each and every mile we drive, whether

it's to the store, school, work, wherever. now, this is called the vehicle miles traveled tax, for short, vmt, the vmt tax. the average bill would equal about $1,300 a year. a drive from san jose state to at&t park in san francisco would cost $4.95. a trip from jack london square in oakland to the golden gate would run you $1.66. now, every driver we've talked to today says this is not the answer to reducing traffic and pollution, which is the proposal's goal. >> it's one thing if you live in europe or new york or philadelphia, where you have public transportation, but the bay area you have to drive. i think in some places it might work, but here it would be difficult. >> that's ridiculous. that's -- that's too much money. gas is already expensive, and then that would be way too much money. >> reporter: now, all drivers would be subject to this tax,

except for those deemed low income. and the miles would be tracked bay gps device that would have to be -- we'd all have to put inside our vehicle. now, the metropolitan transportation commission is spearheading the proposal and according to the "mercury news," tomorrow the mtc along with county survivors and city council members will talk about doing a study on the vmp tax. now, some places in oregon, washington state, and georgia have actually tested out the vmp tax with pilot programs, but none have adopted this. in fact, if the bay area were to adopt this tax, it would be the first place in the nation to do so. reporting live, 101 in the south bay, i'm marla tellez, "today in the bay." >> ten cents a mile would definitely rack up, but staying at home is not cheap either. a new report shows that bay area rents are hitting their highest levels ever. real facts just put out the report this morning. it says rental prices are being pushed up by demand as that job market improves.

the report also says the lingering housing recession is pushing people to rent instead of buy. this year alone in san jose, the average apartment rent, jumping about 10% to around $1,800 per month. oakland rent, rising about 14% to $1,835 a month. and in san francisco, it is sky-high rent, going up about 12% to $2,700 each month. 6:04. the search begins today for the assets of convicted killer hans reiser after a hayward jury ordered him to pay his children $60 million. the jury found in favor of the plaintiff plaintiffs, reiser's young children, in the wrongful death suit in the murder of their mother. reiser's serving 15 years to life after killing nina reiser in 2006. the software engineer defended himself during the week-long trial, but showed no emotion when the verdict was read. any money reiser makes in prison or from earnings from computer

software will go to those kids. suspended sheriff ross mirkarimi's wife back in the bay area and today she's ready to back her husband. she will testify this morning before an ethics commission, which will decide whether her husband keeps his job. mirkarimi faces official misconduct charges after pleading guilty to false imprisonment for bruising lopez's arm during a new year's eve argument. mayor ed lee suspended mirkarimi and wants him removed from office, permanently. well, brace you're if you're heading out to the ucf campus, it may look more like a horror film than a college campus this morning. students dressed as zombies will meet uc regents who are meeting to address the government's tax initiative and its impact on education. today in l.a.'s bob redell is live with more on the very unusual demonstration. >> reporter: good morning to you, jon. a demonstration that's already drawn security out here, a lot of police just arrived here at the mission bay campus here in san francisco to provide

security for this morning's uc board of regents meeting that's going to take place later this morning. they are expecting protests that could look a lot like the walking dead. take a look and see what i'm talking about. several students are expected to dress up like zombies to protest what they say is the death of higher education. they're upset that today the board is expected to raise the fees for students in professional degree programs and that they could eventually be a 20% hike in tuition for undergrads. >> we're back from the living debt, to show the university, to talk to the regents, to tell them that we can't take anymore. the state has ordered a tuition freeze this year and the university is still sidling us with more debt. >> reporter: we spoke with uc. interestingly, today the board is expected to temporarily freeze the amount students pay to attend uc. in other words, keep tuition at status quo. in exchange, the state has

promised an additional $125 million in funding for next year. the board is also expected this morning to endorse governor brown's tax initiative. prop 30 would temporarily raise the sales tax and increase income tax on those making over $250,000. that tax proposal could bring in another $250 million for the school. here's the catch. if that tax proposal fails in november at the blot box, the uc system doesn't get any of that money, and that's why there's concern there could be a 20.3% hike in tuition mid-school year. reporting live here in san francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay." meanwhile, the csu system is also fighting its own budget battle. trustees are trying to figure out what they will do when the governor's tax hikes are rejected in november. higher student fees and reduced enroll rmt likely if the initiative fails. nevertheless, the board just approved salary hikes for three campus presidents, including leslie wonk at san francisco state. wong will now make $325,000 a

year along with a car and housing allowance. 6:07 right now. we check back in with meteorologist christina loren, looking ahead. what's happening right now? a little cool out there? >> a little cool out there, kind of like you, jon kelly. a lot of coolness happening on that anchor desk. as we head throughout the morning hours, you can tell by this live picture, you can see that it's mostly cloudy in san francisco. we have flight delays. check ahead. the fog, those low ceilings making it very dangerous for planes to land on that little strip where you have the sfo. 58 degrees in san francisco, speaking of which. 50 in santa rosa. and 59 degrees in napa this morning. as we head throughout the day today, we are going to see some changes. a little bit more sunshine, a little bit warmer as we head throughout this afternoon. and then as we head through thursday, we really start to heat you up, the 90s by friday. you're almost there. so close.

let's help you get over that hump for wednesday. 71 by noon. today, really comfortable conditions inland, 79 at 4:00 p.m., bayside. you'll at about 71 degrees in the heat of the day, but we have hotter changes coming. the microclimates are going to make some major separation in terms of your temperatures this week. so stay tuned. seven-dayout look in my next report, 6:09. you need to know what's happening on the roads, here's the man to help you do so. >> here's what's going on the road over the water, the bay bridge. we're focusing on the lower deck. now that's opposite your main commute direction, but we have a stall blocking one lane. chp's arrived. it's on the decline heading over towards the oakland side. no slowing yet, but it is blocking the lane, so we'll track that. meanwhile, a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. the volume builds here as well as back to the maps and we'll see the volume building through livermore, really focusing on the transition before you get to airway. clear to the dublin interchange, though. south bay, 101. northbound builds more volume, but 85 shows less construction,

guys. back to you. >> thanks a lot, guys. officers are weeding out a massive pot operation in the foothills of eastern santa clarita county. deputies tell us between 10,000 and 15,000 marijuana plants were being grown illegally on mt. hamilton. deputies and state agents searched that site yesterday. one suspect was bitten by a fish and game k-9 during the search, but deputies say a second suspect is still on the loose. and to southern california now, where a man is behind bars for build a secret camouflaged house in a public park. and oh, by the way, he added a little marijuana garden. that's also illegal. the l.a. sheriff's deputies discovering the secret spread in a remote area of the tujunga ponds wildlife sanctuary. this tiny house actually boasted four hand krafted bunk bedded built right into the walls, cables, shelves, and of course he was plague it safe. he had a fire extinguisher in case of mremergency there.

crews have plans to remove the structure over next few days. >> looks like it took him a while to build it too. >> he was probably watching those home fix-it things on the networks. his own reality show. >> his own little plot of land. we have developing news this morning out of siry. there are reports a suicide bombing killed key government leaders. an update is next. also, palo alto's very own jeremy lin getting a brand-new nba deal and it's a fat one. he also has a brand-new team. and the change is actually affecting the way things are on wall street. we'll explain this one, coming up. and twitter users make an appeal to the new yahoo! ceo. we'll take a look that coming up in business.

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welcome back, everybody. how you feeling on a wednesday morning, as we give you a live look over san jose down in the south bay. a nice day ahead as we have the birds and the clouds joining us

for our live look. christina loren will tell you all about the weather, coming up. it is 6:13. we've also been following some developing news out of syria this morning. in just the past few moments, a syrian rebel commander claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing that killed the country's defense minister and brother-in-law of president assad. >> syrian state media reporting it all happened just a few hours ago near a national security building in damascus. this is video of the fighting that's taking place near the presidential palace. reports say the suicide bombing actually happened during a high-level meeting. a number of other people have also been hurt. and we will continue following all this developing news and we will, of course, pass along any updates as soon as we get them. also new this morning, north korean leader kim jong-un named himself that country's top military post. he named himself to that post. the state-run media said the decision was made on tuesday and officially reported today. north korea's top general was purged earlier this week,

reportedly for health reasons, and with a new title, kim jong-un's elevation after the death of his father, kim jong-il, is now officially complete. 6:14. penn state says it is preparing a response to ncaa demands for information in wake of the jerry sandusky sexual abuse scandal. the national collegiate athletic association is investigating whether penn state violated rules. penalties include the possible shut down of the entire football program. it comes in the wake of a report claiming top university administers concealed sandusky's crimes to shield the school from bad publicity. now, people near the penn state campus will be looking to the air today to see if this sign returns. you'll see it here shortly. the banner along this plane that was flying says, "take the statue down or we will." a statue of head coach joe paterno has become the target now of threats. there's debate as to whether to

keep the statue after last week's report that paterno helped hide sandusky's crimes. the plane's owner says it was hired by the same person who paid to have banners flown over pebble beach back in 2010 following the tiger woods scandal. that banner read, "tiger, did you mean bootyism instead of buddhism," and another read "tiger, are you my daddy?" controversy there. all right, a little less than a week to go before the london olympics. >> a company hired to provide security for the games says it's coming up short. that private security company, g4s was supposed to hire 10,000 security guards. but last week, they admitted to being at least 3,500 short. they also said that on any given day, they don't even know actually how many employers are going to show up. the british military and police have had to step in to try to fill that gap made by the company. >> day my day, we started to

realize that the pipeline and the people we thought we were going to be able to deliver, we couldn't. >> olympic organizers now say despite the unexpected setback, the security of the games will not be compromised. how about this? a bay area swimmer getting set for her third olympic games. >> you know the name, natalie coughlin already has 11 olympic medals to her game. she talked to nbc's natalie morales and she says she's very excited. coughlin will compete in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay in london. and of course we'll show you more of that interview coming up on the "today" show. >> exciting stuff. wish her well. >> great to see a bay area native do well. everybody's rooting them on. 6:17 right now. you know, linsanity, another bay area name, headed to the longhorn state. jeremy lin now a houston rocket. palo alto high school grad was too rich, i guess, for new york's blood. knicks didn't match the rockets'

offer for the guard. it's worth noting the rockets cut lin from the team last year before he eventually signed on to the nicks, now they're paying $25 million over three years. >> time to pay the piper -- >> to get him back. day got him back. lin was so popular with knicks' fans, that his rumored departure actually put down of the team's owner stocks. can you believe it? >> he was a cult hero. >> madison square garden company dropped 3% since monday. lin's popularity packed knicks' game at the garden and the company negotiated a more lucrative cable deal because of it. analysts don't think shares will follow anymore, even with lin leaving. >> it will be interesting to see if lin's endorsement deals get affected by that, because new york city's such a bigger market. see what happens down in houston. it's all about playing some ball. he'll get it done. >> and they're pretty big on their sports in houston. as you know with, they certainly do. we don't have any real sporting events happening in the bay area here today, those giants are out of town, but, hey, you're going to get some great weather today.

fantastic conditions for outdoor activities. i keep pointing out how you want to seize the day, because things are changing. this is a live look, the golden gate bridge, which you can actually see very clearly here. hard to believe from this live shot that we have an hour and 38-minute flight delays out of sfo due to low ceilings. but it's a matter of time before that fog starts to settle in, even here over the golden gate bridge. we'll be mostly cloudy over the course of the next hours and progressively clear you out. as per usually, 57 in livemore, 60 in san jose to start, and 48 driveways, good morning in novato. we'll see that foggy drizzle, a cool start. airport delays until 11:00 a.m. we'll let you know during our mid-day broadcast. a slight warming as we head through this afternoon from yesterday's highs and those 90s return as we get to that seven-day forecast. so stay tuned for that. really cool imagery coming in this morning. this is your futurecast. you see those little blob of green, orange, and yellow here? that is fabio. fabio is a tropical depression, not expecting a lot of impact here in the bay area from fabio,

but we will see some moisture surge up from the south, and for us, that's going to make it feel a little bit more muggy. as we head throughout this afternoon, but really, still under the influence of this area of low pressure, which is situated up in the pacific northwest. so as we head lothroughout the y today, we'll lose that cloud cover, it will roll right back in. it works out like this for today. high pressure starts to track slowly towards the coast. that's what's going to bring us our gradual warm-up. as we head into this weekend, the 90s return. if you've been missing summertime weather in the bay area, we've got it for you and plenty of it as a matter of fact. today's highs will be the coolest for the next eight to ten days. so enjoy it while it lasts. 79 in livermore. as we head throughout tomorrow, the 80s return and then the 90s by friday, mid-90s saturday and sunday. >> a pretty sweet drive as well on the maze and the approach to the bay bridge. that's your commute direction. but we have eastbound, the lower deck, still have the reports of

the stall, they're on the decline, blocking the slow lane. haven't seen any slowing, but just prepare for that coming over from san francisco into oakland. there may be a little bit of slowing as you pass that area in toward the toll plaza vicinity. looking over here, highway 4, typical slowing in the westbound commute direction off the bridge and heading over towards pittsburgh and bay point, where speeds are back up through the limit toward concord. much further east, we'll look at sacramento. interstate 80, that's just fine. that's your main business route through sacramento. but just south of there, as you pass the airport, highway 99 still closed by flooding. it started around 3:00 a.m. water main was broken. between 12th and floren, it's still closed, but chp tells us they may open that soon. still, i-5 is a great alternate for you, taking you on the west side of the airport. a big know for you if you're heading through the area for the next bit of time. and a live look at the san mateo bridge. eastbound, you may have one lane closing in just a few minutes as they're doing some maintenance work today in the eastbound direction. westbound starting at 11:00. back to you.

>> thanks so much, mike. it is 6:21 right now and we've been reporting this week on silicon valley's latest ceo, and that would be marissa mayer. >> when you think about it and get rid of all the interim ceos that yahoo! has had, yahoo! has had two women ceos out of six, 33%. that's a lot higher than most companies. yahoo! reporting its profits, neither marissa mayer or its former interim ceo joined the conference call. instead, yet another interim ceo took charge, reporting that yahoo! made more money than expected, but mayer will have plenty of challenges ahead. there's an online effort to make one of her actions to improve flickr. yahoo! bought it back in 2005, but hasn't done much with it. the iphone app get just two stars. flickr and yahoo! fans using the

hashtag, "dear marissa mayer" on twitter. here's someone you haven't seen in the public eye recently. president george w. bush on youtube this morning, talking with stanford's hoover institution. it was uploaded yesterday, but just has 22,000 views. mr. bush says he is staying out of the press intentionally. >> eight years was awesome and, you know, i was famous and i was powerful and -- but i have no desire for fame and power anymore. >> president bush says he supports the current president and would no matter who was president, but he says he also supports mitt romney and hopes he does well, but says romney can do with well without me, in his words. i'll make sure to link that to our nbc facebook page as well so you can look at the interview. >> cool, check it out. coming up, new warnings of

trouble for the economy, if congress does not act soon. details next in a live report from washington.

well, dire warnings the economy could go into a free fall if the bush-era tax cuts are not extended. tracie potts joins us now. >> congress needs to act. before the end of the year, those tax cuts go away. democrats and the president want to hold on to them for the middle class.

republicans say everyone needs those tax breaks, even the rich, because they are the job creators. what to do about this? there are now more warnings that if congress does nothing, americans might suffer. a new report from the aerospace industry says we could be looking at what they call employment armageddon, 2 million jobs last next year. dick cheney, former vice president, warns that big spending cuts that could also kick in this fall could affect the department of defense. they may not be ready to handle sudden threats if they don't have the money to do so. ben bernanke telling congress, we could be looking at another recession. john? >> tracie, thank you very much. still to come on "today in the bay," four people accused of killing a man they say was a teenager's pimp go to court today and then they could go home. we'll tell you why. a new program promising to give some teachers a big-time pay raise causing some controversy. we'll let you know why, coming up. and there's a new proposal to tax you for every mile you

drive around the bay area. we're going to take you how it all would work, coming up next.

new this morning, a pay-per-mile driver's tax could become a reality right here in the bay area. good morning. i'm marla tellez. we're live on the road this morning with that story, coming up. teachers could get $20,000 extra to turn their backs on other fields. but not everyone's happy about this. we'll tell you why. i think most people are pretty happy about the weather forecast today, because we are celebrating the upper 70s inland, the upper 60s bayside, and hey, upper 50s, low 60s at the coast. lots to talk about in your full forecast. >> looks beautiful as far as the bay bridge goes. traffic looking beautiful too as the stall cleared from the

decline. but two incidents to tell you about on the san mateo bridge, highway 92, coming up. and live look outside at the golden gate bridge. we'll check the commute there as well. it is wednesday, july 18th. this is "today in the bay." and good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. 6:31. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm jon kelley. right now we give you a live look outside at 280 in san jose. that's just one of the many freeways that crisscrosses across the bay area. this morning, how about a radical idea to make the roads greener by taking some of the green right out of your pocket? "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live on that highway. she's going to explain how this pay-to-drive plan would actually work. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, we're on very good company on the road this morning, heading southbound on 101 through the sunnyvale and santa clarita area right now. in good company with other morning commuters out here.

we've heard from some of them and they say no way on this idea of this so-called vehicles miles traveled tax, or just vmt for short. bay area drivers would be taxed up to ten cents for every mile they drive, no matter where or when. the miles would be tracked with a gps device that all drivers would have to get. now, the proposal is being pushed by the metropolitan transportation commission and the money raised would go toward road repairs and the idea is to reduce traffic and pollution and inspire people to take public transit. now, the drivers we talked to this morning say the idea only inspires anger, especially when considering gas prices. >> ten cents on the sign right there makes me feel uncomfortable about stopping at a certain gas station. so -- >> reporter: so any additional money -- >> any additional money would just sort of make me mad. >> you're kidding? it's already bad enough. with gas prices and wear and tear on the car, so i've never

heard of anything like that. it just seems like out of the ordinary. >> reporter: now, if you do the math using a dime per mile, if you have a 30-mile commute to work, for instance, that would cost you an extra $3. some more examples, to drive from san jose state to at&t park in san francisco would run $4.95. and a trip from jack london square in oakland to the gold gate would run $1.66. according to the "mercury news," the mtc is going to authorize a study on this tax tomorrow. now, we've reached out to the commission and we are waiting to hear back. live on 101 in the south bay, i'm marla tellez, "today in the ba bay". a convicted killer told to come up with $60 million to care for his children after he murdered their mother. a hayward jury ordering hans reiser to compensate the children with his assets and his future earnings.

it was the culmination of the children's wrongful death lawsuit against their father. he was convicted of killing their mother, nina reiser, in 2006. today the court will begin tracking down reiser's assets. he will return to prison, where he is serving 15 years to life. suspended san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi's wife is back if the bay area and today she's ready to back her husband. she will testify this afternoon before an ethics commission, which will decide whether her husband keeps his job. mirkarimi faces official misconduct charges after pleading guilty to false imprisonment after bruising lopez's arm during a new year's eve argument. mayor ed lee suspended mirkarimi and wants him removed from office permanently. laura, a bay area couple accused of killing their daughter's pimp could be released from jail today. lupe mercado and barry gillton along with two other co-defendants will appear before a san francisco judge for a bail hearing. that is taking place this morning. all four are charged in connection with the shooting death of 22-year-old calvin

sneed near candlestick park last month. the couple says sneed used their 17-year-old daughter as a sex worker in los angeles, but the couple is insisting they are not guilty. uc regents are gathering in san francisco and they're going to be met by protests over past tuition hikes and the potential for future ones. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live at the ucsf mission bay campus this morning, where students are dressing up as zombies, but they say for a reason. good morning, bob. >> reporter: good morning, laura. i'll explain that reason in a moment. sf pd, police are out here, setting up barricades. these protesters are upset that the board is expected to raise fees for students in the professional degree programs and that there could eventually by a 20% hike in tuition for undergrads. so several students are expected to dress up like zombies to protest what they say is the death of higher education. >> well, the uc regent have said

killing students with these tuition increases, 300% in the last few years. it's a debt sentence. so we're coming back from the debt and back from the dead to say, no more tuition increases, no matter what happens this year. >> reporter: we spoke with uc. today the board is expected to temporarily free the amount that students are expected to pay in uc. in exchange, the state has promised an additional $125 million in funding next year. the board is also expected to endorse governor brown's tax initiative. prop 30 would temporarily raise the sales tax and increase income tax on those making over $250,000. that tax proposal could bring in another $250 million for the school system. now there is a hitch. if that tax proposal does not pass when voters go to the ballot box in november, the uc system would lose all that money, putting it in the hole, leading to a potential 20.3%

increase in tuition that could take place midyear. reporting live here in san francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay." meantime, president obama is proposing a controversial idea to improve education in america. the president's s.t.e.m. program would pay teachers who specialize in math, science, and technology an additional $20,000 a year. some educators feel all teachers should be paid equally. supporterers think the program would draw more qualified teachers. the program will be unveiled today and start small with just 50 teachers selected. it is 6:37 right now and meteorologist christina loren says if you like cooler temperatures, today's your day to get out, because it's about to get a lot warmer. >> embrace it while it lasts. major changes on the way to the bay area. good wednesday morning to you, starting with a live look over alcatraz island, you can see a little bit of a ripple out here on the water this morning. kind of choppy on the bay, as winds have been gusty. you're no stranger to the winds at the coast or in the east bay over the past couple of days and

today we'll see those winds pick up yet again. i'll get to your futurecast in just a moment. i wanted to show you, san jose, first as well, we're still seeing those low clouds. the inland valley with our low clouds. that is the natural coolant coming off the pacific. a really comfortable day today. but those winds will pick up. kind of nice in sunny last night with that breeze coming out of the northwest. for today, napa, a sustained wind speed of 5 miles per hour for now. let's show you your future for today and tell that story. where you see the blues, that's where you're getting some of the lighter wind speeds right at the coast about 5:00 p.m. but those yellows and greens, that's some stronger wind in the east bay hills as we head throughout the afternoon and into the evening hours. so if you have loose objects out on your patio, probably want to tie those down or bring them in today. 71 by noon today, and that's your inland temperature at noon today, 71 there. 79 by 4:00 p.m. your full forecast, your seven-day, coming up in just a few moments. if you're waiting for that heat,

got lots of it for you. so stay tuned for that. 6:38, first, let's get you out there. >> we're doing as far as the flow of traffic, but folks, let's call your attention to the san mateo bridge. we have the eastbound direction coming towards us. typically, that's not a problem. but we have reports of a tire that fell in one of the lanes in the eastbound direction. that's one issue. don't know exactly where that is, but we also have a closure now of one of the eastbound lanes coming off of that high-rise. they're doing some retrofit work from 6:00 a.m., well, 6:30, let's see, until 1:00 p.m. they'll do that for the eastbound direction. 11:00 to 4:00, one lane closes in the westbound direction. some slowing from the peninsula to the east bay. on the maps, we'll show you that east bay side. the caster valley "y" a concern as the volume builds here. more on that and the flooding in sacramento, coming up. back to you. >> thanks so much, mike. 6:39. coming up on "today in the bay,"

police officers will spend some extra time with mexican police officials today. what they hope to learn, coming up. and there could be a link between mother and child and breast cancer, next. here you go little man.

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with welcome back. 6:42, everybody. a new study finds giving birth to bigger babies may double a woman's risk of developing breast cancer later in life. >> it's interesting. researchers say women who have babies weighing at least 8

pounds tend to have higher levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with breast cancer. but breast-feeding with, having more than one child, and following a healthy diet and exercise plan can help reduce the overall cancer risk. the study was published in the online journal "plus one." another study this time in sweden finds regular mammography screening has little if any impact on breast cancer deaths. researchers found no pronounced decreased in breast cancer mortality after mammograms were introduced back in the 1970s. even so, researchers say women over 40 should continue to get routine mammograms. the report is published in the journal of the national cancer institute. >> all right. interesting stuff. it is 6:43 right now. coming up, the political crisis in syria gets personal for that country's ruler. the latest on the deadly blast that targeted the inner circle of the assad regime. and back on track, california's high-speed rail line clears a major hurdle. and you would think the

state budget gets better when the economy gets better, right? maybe not. we'll take a look ahead in business news. to work, school, practice, dance class, shopping, and more. so do something nice for it. chevron with techron. care for your car.

and we start with international news. the syrian rebel commander has claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed the country's defense minister. >> the syrian army confirms the blast also killed president assad's brother-in-law. syrian state media reports it happened just a few hours ago inside the syrian national security headquarters in damascus. this is actually video of some of the fighting that's been going on near the presidential palace. reports say the bombing happened during a high-level meeting. other ministers and military officials were seriously injured in that explosion. >> also new this morning, north korean leader kim jong-un naming himself to that country's top

military post. north korea's top general was purged earlier in the week and reportedly that was for health reasons. now, with the new title, kim jong- jong-un's elevation after the death of his father, kim jong-il, is now officially completely. 6:46, "today" show coming up at 7:00 right after "today in the bay". here's savannah guthrie with a look at what they're working on. >> coming up on a wednesday morning on "today," we have new details on that murder suspect that attempted to steal a passenger plane at an airport in utah. he was later found dead inside that jet. we'll have a report from the scene. also ahead, kerry kennedy appears in court and speaks out for the first time about her crash on a new york highway. this morning, her explanation for what caused that accident. and sarah jones, the former cheerleader accused with sexually abusing a teenage boy. she'll open up about the charges against her in her first

television interview. and we'll reveal five secrets to looking younger and feeli ining fabulous as we age. it's all as we get started on a wednesday morning right here on "today". >> thanks, savannah. i guess you can call it hipsters on the high seas. do they use that word anymore? >> we just did. the popular music festival known as coachella is going cruising, jon. >> it's on. the music event is going to set sail in december. so far, two trips are planned, one heading to the bahamas and the other to jamaica. as for the cost -- >> priceless. >> maybe memories. if you're willing to bunk four to a cabin, it could be as little as $500 a person. the most expensive package is going for $9,000. reservations open this saturday on the concert website. >> a rave on the waves. >> there you go. >> exactly. let's check the forecast. i kind of like the cooler temperatures, so we for the enjoy today. >> yeah, those coachella concertgoers will as well, because the coachella valley,

when that concert traditionally takes place, triple-digit temperatures. i grew up there. you can see the golden gate bridge this morning, the tippy top. that fog has not yet settled to the surface. we're still getting some winds strong enough to mix up our atmosphere and keep that dense fog from settling down. we'll see that happen as we head throughout next couple of hours. and we have slight delays out of sfo. between about an hour and a half and two hours. here's a live look at san jose. it's already mostly cloudy here and over the entire silicon valley, that marine layer is going to keep us nice and cool today. 6:49 now, temperatures starting out really crisp. 59 in oakland. so what's been so interesting is that our temperatures have been right on track with our seasonal averages, so we're getting that summertime morning beautiful weather, but then our highs in the afternoon are only reaching levels that we traditionally see in the fall or spring. so temperatures today are going to be much cooler than we

typically see in mid-july. and as of 11:00 today, we'll meet back here for the midday broadcast. we're not going to be tracking as much cloud cover, and that area of low pressure finally kicks out of here. that's what's kept us so cool. if you live by the coast, gray skies over the past couple of days, finally getting some of that sunshine for the second half of the day today, and really seeing that sunshine as we head into this upcoming weekend. bayside cities, coastal communities, you'll get the best weather as we head into the weekend. the good news is for you inland focus, you can head to the beach if it gets too hot in livermore,, 79 degrees today, not too hot today by any stretch of the imagination. and then those 90s return, mid-90s into saturday and sunday. make sure you're ready for that. 84 degrees by the bay on sunday. 70 degrees at the coast, perfect beach weather. 6:50, let's check your drive. here's mike. >> hey, south bay drivers, we're looking at that slowing because the volume of traffic really kicking in for 101 as well as 87. both for the northbound directions, both in spots we've

been watching for about 20 minutes. there you go. we're looking also at slowing for southbound 880 and the caster valley "y," but also we have maintenance closing one lane of eastbound 92 already this morning. going on until 1:00 p.m., westbound, you have one lane closed, starting at 11:00, going until 4:00. that's for retrofit work today, tomorrow, and friday. let's get a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, because the metering lights are on, the backup quickly forming here. no big surprises down interstate 80 locally. get down through the sacramento area, that moves smoothly. south of there if you're taking highway 99, you still cannot take it south past the airport. it's closed because of flooding, the water main break there just north of floren, but the northbound side has reopened. in either case, i-5 is a smooth drive in through sacramento, past the airport. back to you. >> thanks so much. unfortunately, the markets couldn't keep up tuesday's rally. >> scott mcgrew checks the

numbers for us. >> dow industrials down about 20 points, the head of the fed, ben bernanke, will be back on capitol hill this morning. the head of the treasury says the economy is slowing down, even though we did get good news on housing starts. facebook stock up a bit after a slow slide earlier this week. a new report from a bipartisan committee led by a former fed chairman says california's state budget would be in crisis even if there were no economic troubles in the world. that even if we were in a boom, the pensions would be underfunded and the state would be paying more than it brought in for medicaid. five other states are in the same boat, according to this study. this is obviously worrisome, because while california's government is in trouble now, one would certainly think that it's going to get better some day, but they're saying the way it's written now, no, it will not. >> thanks, so much. a little bit of online detective work helped a family recover some stolen goods. after some jewelry was stolen from their home, they decided to

check on craigslist, and sure enough, they saw several of those items and they all had the same contact number, so the family decided to call police, who set up a stung, and they went in and made the arrest. the victim, who does not want to be identified, is grateful. >> wow, that really did work! all of that really worked! you know? and like i said, they just really stayed on top of it and they were really smart in the way they went about it. >> and they made the bust. san leandro police said the department right now is short staffed and they do appreciate all the help in developing leads, but they stress you should not get physically involved in something like this. and sticking with craigslist, another seller who was recently busted is also heading to prison. an l.a. man was sentenced yesterday to a year in jail for selling fake erectile dysfunction pills. the feds have been on his tail for a year after intercepting a large package of fake pills, which were heading for his home. this morning only on nbc bay area, five years after a helicopter crash in hawaii

killed her boyfriend and left her permanently disabled, a los altos woman is sharing her story. >> when it hit, it just hit. and it went forward and then i came back. >> dania hansen talked only to nbc bay area about the scary moments when the chopper went down over kauai. her boyfriend died just minutes after that crash. three others were injured. hansen can no longer walk. instead, she uses a scooter to get around. she says the crash is still on her mind, even after five years. >> almost every day, i think about it. and especially if i hear helicopters go over and i just look at them and it takes me back inside. >> the ntsb has blamed a manufacturing defect in the chopper's tail section for causing that accident. hansen received a settlement for her injuries from the company's connected to the helicopter. as she looked back, she says she's not angry at those companies and calls all of this

a terrible accident. well, some police officers who normally deal with drug cartels and mass murders have travelled a long way here to the bay area to get some crime fighting instruction. two police officers from mexico city will ride along with oakland police officers today, hoping to learn more about how opd crime fighting strategies and technology actually take place. the federales will sit in on oakld's morning lineup and then go out on patrol with some seasoned officers. so why did the agents choose oakland for their training? well, stephanie trang will ride along as those agents go on patrol. you can catch her live reports tonight at 6:00. a $7 million makeover coming to san jose international airport. the money is a federal grant to fund an ongoing runway improvement project that started back in 2009. the airport says the improved runways will result in more business travelers choosing to fly into san jose international instead of other bay area airports.

full speed ahead for the state's controversial bullet train. governor brown will be in san francisco this afternoon to sign high-speed funding bill. the line will eventually link the bay area to los angeles. critics call the bullet train a boondoggle and a waste of money. brown will sign the bill at the future trans bay transit center. speaking of trains, b.a.r.t.'s next stop in the east bay is not so clear. the agency at this point just trying to decide on one of six locations for a new station along highway 4 in brentwood. it's still in the early stages, but some residents there are concerned during a meeting -- they were concerned during a meeting last night with the b.a.r.t. leaders. they're worried over potential crime and noise a new station might end up bringing to the city. well, ucsf may look more like the set of a horror film than the a college campus today. this morning, bob redell is live at ucsf mission bay to explain why zombies, that's right, zombies will be greeting regents

out there today. bob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, john. student protesters dressed up in zombie makeup to protest what they say is the death of higher education. they'll be showing up like this. this is one of the protests we met earlier this morning. they said they want to help the uc system, quote, come back from the debt and the dead and to say no more to tuition hikes. now, while the uc board will consider a raise in fees for professional programs later this morning when they meet here in mission bay, they are not looking at a tuition hike for undergrads. they're actually expected to temporarily freeze the amount students pay to attend uc. in exchange, the state has promised an additional $125 million in funding next year. the board is also expected to endorse governor brown's tax initiative. prop 30 would temporarily raise the sales tax and would increase income tax on those making over $250,000. that tax proposal could bring in

another $250 million for the system. if that tax proposal fails, the school doesn't get any of that money. then they might have to raise tuition my 20.3% some time during the middle of next year. reporting live here in san francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay." we all pay those gas taxes, bridge tolls to keep our roads in good shape. now a new idea to make us pay more. "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live on the highway with details of a pay-to-drive proposal. i can't imagine this being too popular. >> reporter: you know what, laura, we have not found one person who says, yeah, that's a great idea, even though it's to make this area more clean and to reduce traffic and pollution. we're live on the road, 101 northbound heading through the santa clarita area. all of us, all these drivers here, we may have to pay another driving tax. it's called the vehicles traveleded mile tax. all drivers in the bay, except for those deemed low income would be taxed up to ten cents a mile for every mile on the road. the metropolitan transportation exhibition, the mtc is the

driving force behind this idea. it says it will reduce traffic and pollution while raising money for road repairs. the miles would be tracked through a gps twice, and we'd have to put that gps device in our vehicle and then the pay a monthly bill, for instance. laura and john, the mtc is meeting tomorrow to discuss this tax. we'll be hearing about this for sure in the bay area. reporting from the south bay on 101, i'm marla tellez, "today in the bay". >> looks like she's moving smoothly. what about the rest of the morning commute? >> mike inouye, what's up? >> here's marla, right here. a little slower on the northbound direction. 187, 280, and of course 237 westbound, all showing the build. the bay bridge meter lights on right here. and a san mateo bridge, let's show you a quick shot, eastbound construction slows you heading over towards newark. christina, i see the bridge and some sunlight. >> not for long. take a look at what's left of the sunlight in san francisco,

quickly getting squished out by those low clouds today. 71 at noon and 79 at 4:00 p.m. >> thanks very much for joining us. back with a local news update at 7:25. >> another cool one before it gets hot at the end of the week. have a good one. good morning. security breach. a commercial pilot wanted for murder steals a passenger plane from an airport in utah. he crashed before takeoff and then took his own life. now the fbi is investigating and hahly hali berry treated and released after suffering an injury onset. details on how it happened. and mystery solved. the real story behind this couple captured during a romantic moment by an amateur photogra