toward oakland. and moving past the coliseum, talking about the change, the shift in the traffic flow as we approach the end of the year. more details coming up. >> let's take a live look outside. beautiful bay bridge in the distance. tuesday morning, december 17th. this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. and thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. breaking news on the peninsula where a scrap metal fire is sending large plumes of smoke into the air at redwood city on seaport boulevard along the bay today. "today in the bay's" chase cain on the scene. what can you tell us? >> reporter: terry, this is now a two-alarm fire and fire officials are asking people if they're anywhere in the vicinity of redwood city to stay inside with their doors and windows closed. this is not a shelter in place order. they're just asking you to take precautions, because obviously,

we're talking about a lot of smoke that has been pouring into the air for going on four hours now. the sims metal facility recycles, essentially, just old junk metal from cars to appliances. and the fire officials say it was a pile of appliances that exploded around 1:00 a.m. and caught fire. that is what has been burning ever since. as we mentioned, a two-alarm fire. they have brought in help from nearby fire departments to get this under control, try and put the fire out. there is also an industrial sprinkler system at sims metal that should be helping to at least contain this fire a bit. now, for now, they say they don't know what kind of chemicals are burning and therefore don't know exactly what could be in this smoke. so that is why they're asking people to stay inside, doors and windows closed, just don't be outside in this area if you don't have to be. but redwood city fire seems confident they'll be able to get things under control here in the next few hours. and, of course, we will continue to keep you updated on this situation. for now, though, good news. no road closures, at least in this area, that should affect your commute too much.

live in redwood city, chase cain, "today in the bay." >> thanks very much. to a developing story now. a rare winter wild fire burning just a few hours south of the bay area fueled by some gusty winds. it's burning in the los padres national forest forcing the evacuation of dozens. it's already burned 500 acres and it's only 5% contained. hundreds of firefighters are on the scene, and we checked well local agencies. so far, no requests for additional aid. we're going to get an update from crews on the ground in big sur in just about an hour. today doctors at children's hospital in oakland will perform more tests to see if there are any signs of life for an east bay teen declared brain dead following a tonsillectomy. christie smith live in the hospital with new reaction from some family members. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the family of jahi mcmath still

understandably have many questions about what in the world went wrong here at children's hospital in the first place after they brought the girl here to get her tonsils out. they say right now they're focusing on getting her every chance possible. and that includes one last test to be administered today to see if there is any brain activity at all left in the 13-year-old girl. we have a photo of jahi, a picture of her with her mom right before her tonsil surgery at children's hospital last monday. the family tells us the surgery was actually meant to help her sleep apnea, to help her to breathe better. but they also say that after surgery, well, she had a popsicle, up and talking. but then she started bleeding and they say it just wouldn't stop. they say they actually had to suction her blood themselves. later they say her health declined, she went into cardiac arrest and later was declared brain dead. the family was told her life support would have to end. >> she was would stay in there

forever. if it was up to us. but because of the hospital and the legal business aspect of it, she is legally dead. and it's a coroner's case now. and the that takes away the right from us, the family, from her grandma to my sister, the mother, to have that option to take her off. >> reporter: now, the head of pediatrics released a brief statement yesterday, saying in part, we are reviewing her case closely, and that our hearts go out to her family and they wt to support them at this extremely difficult time. that test again expected to be administered this morning is an eeg. the family also reaching out to oakland mayor, jean quan, to see if she might be able to help out. they are also still seeking legal representation. i have reached out to jahi's uncle. haven't heard back just yet. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> thank you very much, christie. new details now on the san francisco home that tumbled down a hill overnight.

take a look. the house is stuck halfway down the hill, and boards and other material spilled out on to the sidewalk. the crash woke up neighbors and caused a nearby house to be evacuated. "today in the bay's" bob redell live in san francisco. what's the scene there? >> reporter: good morning, terry. we're in the twin peaks neighborhood there. and that home, you can see the debris to the right. used to be located up the hill in the 100 block of crown terrace, now a new address here on the 100 block of gray stone terrace, where we're at. sfpd has got both sides blocked, roughly the equivalent of a block of the street shut down just so people don't try to get in here. because, of course, it's not clear how safe it is with regard to this debris. no one home at the time when the house came tumbling down. a neighbor tells us it was being remodeled. work that began about a month ago. he believes it had been shored up on to wood pillars yesterday.

and then last night, this around 10:30, heard a horrible sound as this house lost its footing and tumbled down the hillside. >> it sounded kind of like a dump truck emptying its load. i was in my house and heard this crashing and came outside and didn't hear anything or see anything after i got outside. so didn't think anything else was going on. and then about five minutes later, the fire trucks and police trucks were coming down the street. >> reporter: if you haven't been to this neighborhood before, it's a very compact. the houses are built very closely together. but what's remarkable is that in spite of that, when this house came crumbling down, it did not damage any other structures. no one was hurt. as you mentioned, one home has been evacuated as a precaution. because it was a remodel, it's our understanding there was no power or gas on at the property at the time. so basically just dealing with a structure collapse. you didn't have electrical or gas leak issues. it's our understanding a

building inspector was out here last night. remember, that was at 10:30 last night. we know that today once the sun comes up, they're going to want to come back and get another look with the light. reporting live in twin peaks neighborhood of san francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> we'll check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. how is it looking out there? >> good. comfortable this afternoon and doesn't feel bad this morning. not too frigid to kick off your tuesday. temperatures in the 40s. we're in the upper 30s to kick off the day in san francisco. 42 in the east bay. and south bay start south in the 40s, as well. so a lot more comfortable. last week was pretty brutal. as we get through the day today, temperatures climb into the 70s. but we're going to see more isolated 70s. yesterday we had widespread 70s down in the south bay. so we're looking pretty good for that. as we get into this afternoon, temperatures will be about 70 degrees in los gatos, 69 for foster city. 66, pacific heights. and i do want to talk about your air quality. yeah, we have had that thick haze, the air pollution situated

over the bay area. today the same. in fact, today we're at the worst point, ten consecutive days. i have really good news for you. we're going to see improving conditions in an area of low pressure coming through, getting into tonight into tomorrow. so that's the good news. and by wednesday, hopefully we won't be sparing that air. but for today, the most unhealthy levels of pollution will be found in the east bay. and down in the south bay. so keep that in mind. and if your little ones suffer from asthma or respiratory issues, limit their outdoor activity if you don't have that your teachers doing that for you at recess. say good morning to mike inouye. >> oakland, a lot lite light volume of traffic. no problems right now toward the bay bridge toll plaza. right now let's take a look at the live camera. the backup yesterday was in the cash lane, started early. heavier than normal. we talked about this. as you approach the end of the year, a lot of folks head into the city, stick around for dinner, might change for

shopping plans or because of the end of the year and some folks have the day off. so that will change the traffic flow and patterns. we have been seeing that the last couple days. right now, an easy light flow around the bay. the east shore freeway off 680. and here in antioch, things slow down a bit, only a tad bit up to contra homa and back up to the speed limit. outside, traffic flowing across the bay, the san mateo bridge smooth, we do have an update from traffic control in the area of the fire. i'll walk you through that for seaport boulevard in the next report. back to you. everything back to normal in terminal a at san jose international airport this morning, 24 hours after floodwaters shut it down. the airport just announced the terminal is fully operational. a hot water pipe exploded yesterday, sending water he have where, causing a few flight cancellations and several flight delays. you remember with those live pictures we brought you yesterday on "today in the bay," travelers had to use terminal b to go through security and get

their luggage while that mess was cleaned up. santa clara lost out on a big time football game. the 2017 college football national championship game will be played in tampa bay, where the buccaneers play. the college football playoff committee says levi stadium simply does not have enough nearby hotel rooms and no track record of hosting the game. that's despite the fact the city will be hosting super bowl l one year earlier, which is pretty big. >> pretty big. >> however, most of the p pre super bowl activities in san francisco. the selection committee says it will be more comfortable choosing levi after it's been in operation for a couple years. but i don't know, we may be booked by them. >> that's right. 5:10 right now, bay area taking steps to lower speed limits around elementary schools and preschools. why police are not on board. plus, why santa clara county's ban on lighting up

could be expanded to ease cigarettes. and check your calendar. today is fed day. what that means for your money, coming up.

you're watching "today in the bay." welcome back, everyone. giving you a live look, this is breaking news that we're following this morning out of redwood city. this is a scrap metal fire happening at sims metal and recycling. you can see the thick plumes of smoke still burning from that fire, now declared a two-alarm fire. chase cain gathering information from investigators as we speak. we'll check with him. 5:15 now. a day wall street has been dreading. the fed will meet today. the end of easy money will be the big topic? >> has to be, laura.

we won't know anything until tomorrow. a two-day meeting. but surely all of the fears of the end of the fed's program to pour billions into the american economy are going to start to show this week. remember, the fed has been buying up tens of billions of dollars worth of stuff every month. government debt and mortgage-backed securities to grease the american economy. now that grease has also slickened the markets. the highs not based on profits. seema mody continues our coverage live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, seema. >> reporter: good morning, scott. futures right now mixed after stocks rallied on monday, ahead of that fed meeting you were just mentioning. of course, the central bank begins a two-day meeting today with the announcement expected tomorrow afternoon. all eyes on the fed. we do get data out today on consumer prices and housing. so be sure to watch out for that. in terms of how we ended yesterday, the dow jumping 129 points. the nasdaq adding 28. that is like holding on to that 4,000 level, briefly lost last

week but now at 4,029. >> almost 5:15. he had word snowden appears to have made another offer to brazil. he says give me asiyluasylum, i tell how the united states spies on you. brazilians angry about how the spy agency tapped phone lines bho belonging to the brazilian president. a number of high-tech ceos meet with the president today to talk about nsa spying. in fact, a large number of tech ceos, including some you may not expect, including the head of etsy, selling arts and crafts. the group is a little big. we'll have full coverage of the upcoming meeting in a bit. >> thanks very much. let's check in with christina loren. a beautiful one yesterday, today. nothing can last forever. changes on our way. >> yeah, those changes help to

make us appreciate this great weather when it does come around. and yeah, you know, december here in california, it could be much colder. a lot of people have holiday travel plans, getting into this weekend. we're looking good for that. so, yeah, doing all right. doing okay in the bay area. 47 degrees to start the day in san francisco. good morning to you in mt. view, at 42 degrees. napa in the upper 30s this morning. and overall temperatures running anywhere between 1 to 4 degrees milder than 24 hours ago. so it's not as cold as it was yesterday morning. and it's going to be a little bit cooler later on this afternoon. but it is another spare the air day. keep that in mind. why i'm happy to report those milder temperatures coming in this morning. it is illegal to burn firewood unless it's your only source of heat. let's talk about air quality. there is improvement. area of low pressure mixing up our atmosphere. by thursday, we're talking about a round of fierce wind in the bay area. what will happen, we'll get a lot of mixture from that. that means air quality will improve. we need that system of low

pressure. by friday, we should be back in the good to moderate range across the bay area. then high pressure builds in again. so this is our temperature trend. i want to focus on morgan hill. today, 72 degrees. this is one of the warmest cities across the bay area. everybody else ending up in the 60s. remember your seven-day forecast here at the bottom of my screen. by tomorrow, we lose ten degrees of that warmth. we're talking about the upper 50s by thursday. we're going to climb back up, though, getting into the weekend, as promised. so as we head through thursday, friday, saturday, starting to gradually climb up. we'll be in the upper 60s for saturday. and by sunday, looking pretty good. close to 70 degrees yet again in morgan hill. let's check your drive and say good morning to mike inouye. >> good morning, folks. we'll take you to an easy flow of traffic as we're traveling around the bay. you know we have been talking about a slightly lighter flow kicking. but traffic tuesday, might see a big burst later this morning. so far, a smooth flow in the immediate vicinity. let me zoom you into the peninsula for the big news story, as well as becoming a traffic issue. the fire here, the sims metal

management plant where chase cain continues to talk about the fire and the management of that there. but it's right near pacific shore center and a shopping center, north village, as well as the science institute nearby. so folks heading over there, i'm told they will be met with traffic control. as you get off highway 101, this area here, seaport boulevard is blocked off. chp will determine whether the conditions are okay for you to get there. woodside road fine, access off 101 from that side of the freeway. so we'll follow that situation as it develops and those businesses start to open their day, as well. meanwhile, the travel across the bay's bridges are moving nicely for the dunbar ton and san mateo bridge. nothing aside from your typical construction crews. an easy flow out of the altamont pass, slowing as you head through livermore, 580. and a smooth drive for anty okay acro across lone tree way. we'll stick with live shots from here on out. fremont moves nicely toward the south bay.

a smooth drive from the nimitz. and east shore freeway, building volume, but nothing dramatic. the fbi is on the lookout for a man they're dubbing the bad beard bandit. they say this man has robbed at least five banks in northern california, including one in sunnyvale. all of that over the last eight weeks. each time he's wearing a cap like that one. and a really fake beard. blatantly fake. not an attempt to make it look real. the fbi says he's dangerous. if you know who he is, they could use some help. the san francisco sheriff's deputy accused of robbing a bank in the city's richmond district in court today. 36-year-old phillip chun tong will attend a preliminary hearing. police say he walked into a bank of america in november last year, presented the teller with a note demanding $1700. the teller handed over cash without incident. lowering speed limits around city elementary schools.

signs to be placed around the schools and three preschools. right now the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. the police department is against the plan, saying lowering speed limits around the school is not likely to make the school zones safer. the brookway city council will pull the final vote today on the plan to redistrict the city. district 7 would include all of the uc berkeley campus. it will be comprised of approximately 86% college-age students. santa clara county could take its ban on smoking to a whole new level. the county board of supervisors is meeting this morning to discuss regulations to subject e cigarettes to the same controls as tobacco. officials say there's a lack of research on the new devices and worry e-cigarettes could be a gateway to real cigarettes, smshl among young people. e-cigarettes emit nicotine vapors are not regulated by the

fda. the singer about to be inducted into the rock n rollel hall of fame. >> this business update is sponsored by spider etfs.

♪ rock band nirvana headlining the list of the newest inductees into the rock n roll hall of fame. hours ago, the six inductees announced. also going into the rock hall of fame, singer linda ronstadt who once served for the mariachi and heritage festival. earlier this year, she announced she could never sing again because of her parkinson's disease. it has advanced too far. other inductees include kiss, hall & oates, peter gabriel and cat stevens. the induction will be april 10th in brooklyn. >> pretty good list. >> nice list.

some favorites of yours, christina loren? >> i love hall & oates. first band i ever saw. won oh tickets on the radio. good looking day shaping up. temps in the 40s. breezy conditions. in san francisco, 41 in the north bay. the south bay at 42 degrees. headed towards a comfortable afternoon, jumping into the upper 60s. so it's going to be comfortable out there yet again. i was driving with my windows down yesterday, mike. because it was so nice. but, hey, you've got to remember, though, it's a spare the air day, so is that okay. >> that's true. you had a mask on so still -- no wood burning in that open-air car. over here toward oakland, traffic flows smoothly. you see that around the bay. a lighter volume of traffic. but i talked about it being a little bit lighter. so far we have been seeing a good build over here for west 580. look at all these folks out of the trivalley, highway 84 toward livermore, as well. so watch the trend as it continues toward the bay 80 and

crossing over san mateo and dunbar ton bridges. do watch that, because we see the traffic coming in, guys. back to you. >> thank you very much. new controversy brewing over the ever popular norad santa tracker. a child advocacy group is coming out against this year's tracker saying it ininjects military into christmas. the norad tracker gives second-by-second updates on santa's whereabouts as he makes his way around the world. this year, norad added two fighter jets escorting santa's sleigh. norad says fighter jets escorting santa, nothing new, and have been doing it since the 1960s. time right now, 5:25. the president gets ready to sit down with silicon valley tech leaders, expected to be a heated conversation on everything from nsa surveillance to health care. plus, a new court challenge to sunnyvale's controversial gun law. the lawsuit supported by the nra. and a live look right now at redwood city, one of the big stories of the morning. smoke just keeps pushing up into the sky over the peninsula.

people now being advised to stay indoors if they can. though a shelter in place has not been issued. right now just a recommendation. a live update from the scene coming up next.

a large fire continues to burn at a peninsula recycling plant, sending a huge plume of smoke into the air. a facility that has a history of dangerous fires. a live report with the latest. plus, crews expected out in san francisco's twin peaks area this morning as they try to shore up a house that slipped down a hillside overnight. >> our air quality keeps slipping downhill. our tenth consecutive spare the air day. but the good news is, improving air quality on the way. we'll tell you when and how long that will last in your full forecast. >> and a lot more traffic on the way. you knew that was coming. the east shore freeway building up. we'll show how the pattern is shaping up this different week over here at the bay bridge toll

plaza. >> and a live look outside right now of the beautiful bay bridge. you can see the lights twinkling, never gets old, patterns never seem to repeat. tuesday, december 17th. and this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. president obama will sit down with techs' best and brightest about nsa spying. at a meeting, a who's who of silicon valley includes ceo mark zuckerberg and netflix's reed hastings. here's a look at today's meeting. good morning, peggy. >> reporter: thanks so much. the relationship between many silicon valley giants and the white house has been very tense ever since edward snowden's revelations about data mining at the national security agency. today several tech executives will meet with the president to discuss their concerns over surveillance operations. first let's talk about who is going to be there, in addition

to the ones you mentioned. first up, it particular tim cook from apple. marrissa meyer from yahoo. eric schmidt from google. initially this meeting was scheduled to discuss healthcare.gov after the president asked for help with the troubled health care website. however, plans changed monday after a federal judge ruled that the nsa's practice of collecting americans' personal information was unconstitutional. u.s. district judge richard leon stated, i cannot imagine a more arbitrary invasion of this high-tech collection and retention of personal data. pretty strong words from the judge. he further stated that collecting this data violated the fourth amendment. the nsa has defended the practice, saying it's done to protect americans. >> the purpose of these programs and the reason we use secrecy is not to hide it from the american people. not to hide it from you. but to hide it from those who walk among you who are trying to kill you. >> okay. so that's according to the nsa.

usually these huge tech companies are rather competitive with each other. but in this effort to establish some kind of privacy parameters, they really are banding together, and we will see what comes out of today's meeting with the president. big day for them. >> all right, peggy. thanks very much. today's meeting with the president part of a growing trend of tech taking an active and sometimes uneasy role in politics. scott mcgrew has that side of the story. and scott, tech not happy with the obama administration. >> yeah, started so well, didn't it, terry? president obama going to be the it tech president. but recent revelations the nsa is in our cloud, made silicon valley very uneasy. add to that, president obama said he would back off some of the stronger positions on immigration, which silicon valley supports. green energy and then the lame duck status. and you can see how the relationship with technology has changed. tech has had a lot of influence on washington, because we're where the money is. when president obama comes to the valley, he comes as many

presidents and candidates do for the money. recently, a private $32,000 a head meeting with sales force ceo, mark benioff at his home. we have been called america's atm more than once. recently, kris christie started making stops in northern california, as well. hard to imagine the san francisco bay area voting republican in any large numbers, terry and laura, but we appear to be more than willing to fund the candidates in exchange for influence. >> thanks very much. we are following breaking news this morning on the peninsula, where a scrap metal fire sending large plumes of smoke into the air this morning. it's burning now for quite some time. this is the second one that we have seen in that area. at that facility. it's along seaport boulevard, right along the bay. "today in the bay's" chase cain is on the scene. chase, a warning for people in that area. >> reporter: yeah. there is no shelter in place

order at this point. but they are saying that you should stay inside and keep your doors and windows closed if you can smell smoke or if you're anywhere in the peninsula, in the vicinity of redwood city. certainly these winds can change quickly. let's take a look at the closer view of the fire that has been burning since 1:00 a.m. at the sims metal plant. this is, as you mentioned, the second fire at the same facility in just the last five weeks. now, last fire, last month, that was the pile of old cars that caught fire. redwood city says that was a much larger, much hotter fire. this fire is a pile of old appliances, which they say exploded around 1:00 a.m., and has been burning ever since. it's about 75 feet wide. now, there are sprinklers there in the metal facility trying to put the fire out. fire crews from around the area trying to put this fire out. but the one big question everyone has, what is in the smoke. >> with any fire, you know, you're going to have combustion that has chemicals in it.

that unfortunately are harmful. whether it's a fire in your fireplace, spare the air day. smoke is dangerous. we all know that. >> so what type of chemicals are we talking about? >> we don't know specifically what byproducts. i know that they're looking into the air quality. >> reporter: that's why they say just keep your doors and windows closed, if you can smell smoke or if you're passing through this area of redwood city. although the fire department does not seem too concerned about this fire spreading. it seems like they are getting a handle on it even though they expect it to burn for at least a few more hours. live in redwood city, chase cain, "today in the bay." >> thank you very much, chase. as chase mentioned, this is not the first fire to break out at sims metal. a month ago, a fire at the scrap metal yard triggered a 17-hour shelter in place warning for three bay area counties. the burn sent dangerous spemoke into the air. sims with a history of fires before the one in november. there was a fire at the san

francisco facility in november of 2010. in may of 2009, there was a fire at the company's hayward facility. in both cases, the bay area air quality management district did not fine the company. the district did issue a $20,000 fine against the metal recycler for a 2007 fire at that redwood city facility. the district has yet to decide if sims would be fined for the november fire, but the agency tells our investigative unit, there was a significant impact on the community and it will likely result in a fine. it's 5:35. doctors at children's hospital oakland say they will do more series of tests to see if the 13-year-old girl is showing any signs of life. jahi mcmath was declared brain dead just a few days after going into the hospital to have her tonsils removed. she looked healthy, according to her family, soon after the surgery. but her family says she started bleeding from her nose and mouth, and went into cardiac arrest. the family wants to keep her on life support, but they say they were told it's now a coroner's

case and that life support will end. the family says they're holding out for a miracle. coming up at 6:00 this morning, christie smith is outside children's hospital in oakland with new details from jahi's family. in san francisco, a park worker accused of running over and killing a young mother with his work truck is back in court today. 57-year-old thomas bernoskey faces charges of manslaughter and hit and run. back in september, police say he ran over a 35-year-old christine svanamir. she was lying in the grass with her baby and dog. they were not hurt. he has been suspended without pay from the parks department. at 5:36, several sunnyvale residents plan to file a lawsuit in federal court today in response to the city's new gun control law. the lawsuit will be filed by attorneys from the law firm, michelle and associates. the city recently pashed measure c, bans magazines that hold more

than ten rounds. the ban also applies to off-duty police officers and hunters just passing through. backers of the lawsuit say the second amendment protects those magazines for self defense, and sporting purposes. new details this morning on the house in the twin peaks enabled of san francisco that tumbled halfway down a hi overnight. happened 10:30 last night. neighbors tell us the house was under construction. the power and gas had been shut off. the house did not hit buildings. as you can see, boards and other materials spilled on to the sidewalk below. the house slid all the way from the twin peaks neighborhood into the gray stone terrace neighborhood. "today in the bay's" bob redell in san francisco will have a live report at 6:00. what a difference a week makes. remember last week, it was so freezing in the morning? >> brrr cold to toasty warm. it was almost like summer at santa cruz yesterday. >> yeah. santa cruz, any day when you hit the mid 70s is a pretty nice day. but to do it just nine days away from christmas is unusual. we went from record cold last

week to record warmth this week. right now we're at 47 degrees in san francisco. you can see our camera is shaking a bit. we do have some wind out there, starting to pick up. and what you can't see from this dark sky, plenty of high and mid level clouds moving into the bay area. that is going to make for an absolutely spectacular sunrise. and you don't have to go outside, you don't have to go anywhere. stick with us here on "today in the bay" and we'll show the sun rise shot. we have that strategically planned out, the cameras in the prettiest locations. in the afternoon, 70s on the map. 72 for morgan hill. south bay looks to be the warmest today. foster city only 65 degrees. same for pacific heights in san francisco. not a bad day in the city. temperatures in the north bay on the warm side in santa rosa, 68 for you. same for fremont. and pleasanton also, 68 degrees. comfortable conditions. and the leaves still really pretty out there, walnut creek just spectacular this time of the year. so as we get into the next couple days, some changes ahead. area of low pressure starts to move through as we head throughout wednesday and

thursday. we're going oh to get two things out of this system. a., better air quality. we definitely need that. our tenth consecutive spare the air day and also some really fierce wind on thursday. so if you live in the higher elevations or plan to travel, stick around. we're going to talk more about that coming up in my next report. first let's check your drive and say good morning to mike inouye. >> good morning. looking toward the bay bridge where unlike yesterday, the cash lanes moving smoothly at this time. and the steady flow of traffic off the east shore freeway. that's good news for the morning commute. no dramatic backup and no metering lights, obviously, right now. we'll look at your maps and you see the maze moves smoothly. and the called cot tunnel and east shore freeway. out to one of your first good measurements, the anty okay area, speed limits in the upper 50s dramatically faster than we see traffic. usually to the 20s through a stretch approaching lone tree right about now. unusual for that drive. over here, a good volume of

traffic out of the altamont for west 580, some slowing toward 680 and the rest of the trivalley. a smoother drive on the peninsula, but 101 as you exit on woodside, that's okay. seaport boulevard closed or traffic control heading toward the business park. pacific shore center, seaport village, marine science institute, chp doing traffic control because that's where the fire is, evaluating, letting you know whether you can get to your business. and traffic across the bridge moving smoothly. there you go. that's the san mateo bridge. back to you. >> thank you. time right now is 5:40. new developments overnight in the investigation into the death of princess diana. what scotland yard has just said next. and a wildfire continues to burn out of control in one of the most scenic areas of california. the latest details from on the ground.

new this morning, a global weapons watchdog group meets today to approve a plan for getting rid of syria's chemical weapons stockpile in just over six months. the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons has drawn up a time line for the destruction of syria's poison gas program. at today's meeting, members are expected to sign off on details of how exactly the operation will work. the most toxic chemicals will be destroyed on a u.s. ship at sea. more than three dozen private companies have offered to destroy less toxic chemicals. secretary of state, john kerry, is in the philippines to show american backing for its lodge-time ally, as well as inspect typhoon recovery efforts. kerry arrives this morning in manila, pledging $32.5 million in assistance to help southeast asian nations. police in london say they

will not reopen the investigation into the deaths of princess diana and her boy friend. scotland yard has been looking into claims that sas, the special air service of the british army, had something to do with the crash that killed diana. police say they were given unprecedented access to british special forces records, while investigating the credibility of those claims. the claims were made by an ex sas member, identified only as soldier "n." and we're following a developing story in monterey county. hundreds of firefighters battling a rare winter wildfire, burning outs of control in the historic big sur. the fire has scorched 500 acres in the loss padres national forest near highway 1. at least 15 homes destroyed, including the home of the fire chief for the big sur volunteer fire brigade. about 100 people have been evacuated and containment is only at 5%. the cause of that fire is still not known. let's check in with

christina loren right now and see what's going on long-term forecast. i still want to thank her one more time for being right on the money yesterday. she said 74 on the beach at santa cruz and it was 74 on the beach at santa cruz, i can tell you for a fact. >> i'm happy to hear that, because i kind of went out"q!ñl. i was the only one to do it. and i was like, oh-oh. but happy about that. the science worked out. and if we have everything as we are tracking right now, everything times out, we should have better air quality that. is my next projection, better air quality by wednesday into thursday. and i think by tomorrow we should not be sparing the air. that's the good news. i'm going to show you why in a second. san jose right now, nice dark sky overhead. i can tell you, a pretty moon out there right now. we are going to see plenty of high and mid level clouds to kick off the day. temperatures in the 40s. your seven-day forecast here at the bottom of your screen. it's tuesday, but you might be traveling or taking off work early this week. so stick around, you'll find

your neighborhood scrolling down there. unseasonably warm hazy sunshine for today getting into your wednesday. temperatures drop off by 5 to 10 degrees but cleaner air. as we get into your thursday, really cool temperatures and fierce wind in the forecast. want to talk a little bit about that. take it right to your futurecast. we're getting these reds and pinks, real fierce winds gusting in excess of 40 to 50 miles per hour. and the windiest time frame right now, overnight wednesday into thursday. and as we head throughout thursday afternoon into the evening hours, definitely improving conditions. if you do have plans to travel through the mountain passes where it can get really, really fierce, you do want to try to keep this in mind if you have a high-profile vehicle. might be a better idea to just postpone those travels until after about noon on thursday once those winds drop off. let's check your drive. maybe traveling this morning. hi, mike. how are you doing? >> good morning. i'm doing well. traffic volume right now is pretty light. and there are no major crashes blocking your freeway. we'll take you to the big issue. first of all, we'll show you the building and talk about that in a second. over here on the peninsula, this is where chase cain continues to

follow this. the fire over at sims metal management. now, i know this is seaport boulevard toward the end of the roadway there. but we also have pacific shores center over there, a business park. we also have seaport village north, a shopping area there for locals. and that is -- those are both affected by the traffic throw. chp has gone over to help with traffic flow. based on the conditions, we'll thaerm whether or not you're allowed to head over. consider this closed if you don't absolutely have to go here, east of the freeway. west of the freeway, woodside road, that transition is open and traffic floel smoothly. haven't heard any incidents of seeing smoke from the freeway but live pictures dramatic. and a lot of smoke in the area. i can't see them from either camera on that side of the bay. as we look at the rest of the traffic flow, moving smoothly and out of the south bay. your typical slow down north 101 at 680, nothing dramatic or unexpected. in the tri valley, a smooth flow of traffic for 580 westbound traveling through this area. 84, no problem and 680 into fremont without incident.

we'll look at fremont itself for 880 and a smooth flow of traffic. picking up company, but no big incidents here. back to the maps again for the tri valley toward the approach to the bay bridge off the car keen us bridge, venetian bridge, smooth and easy through the maze. and approaching the tribridge toll plaza, cash lanes, no back up. a critical test vote by the senate today on a budget deal to avoid another government shutdown for at least two years. it comes after the u.s. house passed the compromised budget bill last week. the senate will now have to pass the bill for it to go to the president's desk. the measure would restore $63 billion in cuts scheduled to take effect in the coming year. they would be offset by $85 billion in budget savings over the next decade. a $1.1 billion penalty. that's how much a california judge is requiring three paint companies to pay to remove lead paint. attorneys joe koch of the law fitch just won a landmark case.

california judge ruled sherwin williams company nl indices and con ag grocery products new lead paint was dangerous in the early 1900s but continued to sell it until 1978, making thousands of california homes dangerous for kids. >> potentially subject to lead poisoning and brain problems. >> kidney problems. >> in his decision, judge james kline berg order ohhed the three companies to pay a total of $1.1 billion to the state of california. nine counties involved in the lawsuit can access millions of dollars to pay for the testing and removal of lead paint. in a statement, a spokesperson for the defendant says today's decision is at odds with california law and judicial decisions across the country that have uniformly rejected similar public nuisance claims. the defendants are expected to appeal the ruling. a follow-up now. a controversial new law making

it illegal for people to sleep in their cars in palo alto is on hold. the city council voted unanimously to delay the enforcement of the so-called vehicle habitation ordinance for up to a year or until a court rules on the constitutionality of a similar law in los angeles. the law was supposed to go into effect in february. the ordinance carries possible jail time and hefty fines. the federal agency investigating last year's fire in richmond is now calling for a major overhaul. the u.s. chemical safety board wants a new state oversight system that would require operators of a chemical facility, like several in contra costa county to outline their safety programs to regulators. chevron responded by saying, safety is the core of everything it does. last year's refinery fire sent thousands of people in richmond and surrounding areas to the hospital with breathing problems. question, of course. do you feel lucky today? excitement is building and so is the jackpot for tonight's mega

millions drawing. >> it's a huge one. right now the jackpot sits at $586 million. that's the second-largest in mega millions history. and you know what? the number likely to soar as people make those last-minute dash to buy tickets today. the drawing is at 8:00 p.m. the odds of winning, 1 in 259 million. the biggest mega millions jackpot ever was $656 million. that was back in march of last year. 5:51 right now. a merry christmas for one bay area nonprofit. special moves to make sure hundreds of scooters and skateboards make it to homes in time for the big day. and changes ahead for your facebook time line. we'll take a look in business.

you're watching "today in the bay." christmas presents caught up in red tape. we'll get to a local nonprofit in time for christmas after all. the shipment of scooters and ska skateboards were stuck at the port of oakland because of a security issue. customs decided it needed another check. this morning the port says it's going to expedite the process and get the toys to the family giving tree, making it a happy christmas for lots of kids. the shipment includes 900 scooters and skateboards. no doubt some robots you said under the christmas tree, as well. scott mcgrew's wish list, as well. >> all of a sudden, laura, robots the talk of silicon valley after google snapped up another robotics company over the weekend. shares in i robot up 4% monday for no discernible reason at all, other than their robots.

irobot makes the vacuum cleaner and military robots that help diffuse bombs, as well. shares in the high-flying twitter took a tumble after analysts took a look at the san francisco company wondering what the fuss was about. the fed meets today. we'll talk about what that means coming up in just a bit. and reports say facebook will announce video ads in the time line today. the sort of auto playing video ads where you wonder where is that sound coming from and then you realize it's somebody trying to sell you a car. the ads could hit the time line as soon as thursday. facebook, terry and laura, makes a ton of money already, but it's mostly because facebook is just so big. when you actually look at the per user amount of money they're making, it's surprisingly small. and they're trying to up that number with the video ads. >> pretty interesting. and who doesn't love ads, right? >> all right. let's check in with christina loren and see what's going on in the forecast. we have had a nice day. another one. but in the too many more in a

row. >> no. but this forecast brought to you by frontier ford. good morning. temperatures in the 40s. 47 degrees in san francisco. 41 in the north bay. south bay at 42 degrees. happy to report, another mild day out there for all your outdoor plans, maybe doing some shopping today, raking some leaves. should be comfortable. you can even go with the short sleeves, and saw quite a few short sleeve ensembles yesterday. do you see any, mike? besides yourself in your crop top? >> sorry. yeah, the short sleeves not the issue. short sleeves? why would you have short sleeves? i expose my belly button. my goodness. looking toward the bay bridge, good news, we're exposing the middle lanes. and that's good stuff. those are the fast track labors. cash lanes do have a mild back up, but forming slowly today. we'll watch this as it builds. i don't think we'll see the metering lights on, at least not before 6:00. the maps show you a smooth flow of traffic through the area. and no problems, except for a

new cash reported, the only one on our reports is westbound 80 around san pablo avenue. it does sound like traffic is now moving to the shoulder but we have one lane currently blocked so slowly there. and a quick look at san jose with no major issue for the south bay. back to you. >> thank you very much. 5:57. why police are against a plan to lower speed limits around schools in one bay area city. and holding out for a miracle. the family of an east bay teenager declared brain dead after what was supposed to be a routine surgery makes new efforts to keep her on life support. plus, we continue to follow breaking news. people being told to keep their doors and windows closed as a plume of smoke billows over the peninsula. chase cain on the scene talking to firefighters. we'll have a new update coming up next. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world

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breaking news. black smoke for miles along the peninsula as flames rip through a scrap metal yard for the second time in a month.

we're going to tell you what's burning and why you might be forced to stay inside until the fire is out. >> it sounded kind of like a dump truck emptying its load. it rumbled the house. >> a shake, rattle, and then a downhill roll as a house collapses overnight in san francisco. and hundreds of firefighters on the front lines in big sur. we're going to tell you what crews are doing to keep a state treasure from getting scorched. and we're eight days away from christmas, and talking about beach weather. temperatures in santa cruz in the 70s for today. but things are going to change, and rapidly. your full forecast in just a few moments. and it looks like one crash has become two crashes down the east shore freeway. we have cars in lanes. this is a bad time. always a bad time there but worst time of the morning. outside we go. a live look at the bay bridge. gorgeous lights. it is tuesday, december 17th, and this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay