good morning. i'm sam brock. coming up on "today in the bay," tragedy in japantown. early this morning a woman gunned down, shot in the face as police scramble to find a shooter and a motive. and this is what you get for stealing on christmas. thieves behind bars this morning following a christmas eve looting. plus a scenario that once sounded unimaginable. could facebook be losing its staying power? why the bay area company is struggling to keep its customers. all this and more on "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." 7:00 on your sunday morning. a live picture now of the golden gate bridge and the palace of fine arts on what should be a fine sunday morning. good morning, i'm sam brock in

for kris sanchez. sunshine sprang up yesterday with sunshine in the 60s but what we really need is rain. anthony slaughter joins us with a look at the forecast. >> things got worse yesterday. we did have the spare the air alert that was in effect and now that's in effect again for today, but also now we have a red flag fire warning. rain definitely not in the forecast. this is really a worst case scenario. we're talking about sparing the air and if we get any fires that break out, the fire warn something in effect until 10 cla10:00. even though we are sparing the air for today, air quality is beginning to improve and i want to show you our sunrise right now. you can see we are looking at really clear visibility. even across san francisco as you just saw. not too much haze building up right now. so that's some good news. really with the gusty winds, it's unfortunate we could see a fire break out because conditions are ripe for that to

happen. but the good news, again, with these gusty winds, that will clear out the air just a bit and, in fact, as we head through new year's eve and new year's d day, we're talking about improving air quality and the potential for fog and drizzle. the coastal locations right now are actually warmer than some of our inland valleys. might be a good day to hit the beach. we'll talk more about the improving air quality in a bit. >> thank you. we begin with breaking news out of san francisco where a woman has just died after sustaining gunshot wounds to the face. this outside of a movie theater in japantown. the victim was shot across the street from the kabuki movie theater on post street. she was transported to a local hospital suffering from at least one gunshot wound. police have not released any suspect information or a motive, although witnesses told us they saw a silver or gold buick speed off after the shooting carrying at least five people inside. a dui check point in

cupertino just wrapped up overnight, part of a routine holiday crackdown on drunk driving. officers began screening around 7:00 along stevens creek boulevard. this near the valco fashion park. police have arrested more than 300 people for drunk driving in santa clara county this month alone. detective calvin ma says the force's efforts also have a secondary goal, education. >> main thing is not only doing the enforcement but we're also doing the education as well, too. we want it get the word out, we don't want people to drink and drive. if you do, then you will be arrested by multiple agencies. >> under no circumstances should you drink and drive, and police will be watching. the next time officers saturate the roads will be for the new year's holiday starting december 31st at 6:00 through midnight on january the 1st. speed racing on residential streets popping up all over the

bay area this holiday season. police say hundreds of cars took over several streets in fremont on friday night drag racing. it happened near the auto mall parkway and 880. officers worry that the races and side shows are becoming a bigger problem. check out this surveillance video we received from the police department of street racing a few weeks ago. watch the top left-hand corner of that screen carefully and you can see the headlights of cars zipping away. on the streets, skid marks left behind as tangible evidence. officers are beefing up their presence in the area overnight when the groups typically get together. police have not said whether they've made any arrests to this point. now to a doling story out of oakland. the family of the 13-year-old girl who remains on a ventilator at children's hospital in oakland is running out of time. they're reaching out on social media this morning asking for a pediatrician in the los angeles area that will treat the teen which might allow her possible transfer to a facility in southern california. jahi mcmath's family has until

5:00 tomorrow more than when the hospital says they will remove her from life support. the goal is to raise $20,000. so far the family has identified about half of those funds. in the meantime, relatives plan to ask the judge tomorrow for an extension on that court order. >> feeling a lot of pressure. feeling a lot of pressure, but, you know, optimistic in my faith that god is going to make another way for us. >> and in an open letter, jahi's mother writes, quote, we have strong religious convictions and sets of beliefs, and we believe that in this country a parent has the right to make decisions concerning the existence of their child. we have more on this story online. head to nbcbayarea.com. it is the top story on our home page. police in newark have released mug shots of four men charged with stealing christmas from a family that we first introduced you to on thursday. this mom and her two children

were left with a very bare christmas after thieves broke in christmas eve and walked out with their gifts. investigators say they have arrested four adults and two juveniles responsible for the theft at the torres home as well as two other burglaries on christmas eve. officers say they didn't find the gifts, but they were able to return some of the property that was stolen from another family. on thursday newark pd teamed up with al maameda firefighters to deliver donated gifts to the torres family. alameda police are asking for the public's help to find a woman suffering from alzheimer's. harriet holbrook was last seen in front of her home at noon yesterday. that's 5'5" and 110 pounds. she may be walking with a brown lab. alameda police are asking anybody who has seen her to please contact the police department. more than a million americans are without their unemployment benefits this morning. the clock ran out yesterday on an extension of long-term

unemployment benefits. california is home to more than 200,000 of those affected. one family says their $375 weekly check was a life line and now their only guarantee is uncertainty. >> we both work too hard. we love what had we did, loved our families, took care of them, did everything for our family, and just pulled the rug out from underneath us and there's nothing left. >> heart breaks for thousands of families across the state. now, the other states with the biggest numbers of long-term unemployed include nevada and new york. many people who use ac transit can sleep a little easier knowing a deal has been reached. union members voted to approve a tentative deal with management late friday night avoiding a possible strike. now, this new contract gives bus operators and mechanics a nearly 10% raise over three years. it also calls for employees to contribute $120 per month for health care coverage.

>> now, the b.a.r.t., now that ticked me off because i need the b.a.r.t. like every day. i'm happy they got that situated and i'm happy that ac transit is not striking right now. >> the board of directors is scheduled to vote on that contract on january the 8th. much more still to come on "today in the bay." next, a family who is chasing their olympic dreams. how a brother and sister are preparing for sochi. we are on instagram. we are on snap chat. we are on sign. we are on -- some of us are on tumblr and twitter. >> the talk of the town this morning, is the end in sight for facebook? thousands of young users are leaving the social media giant. what could keep facebook going?

you are watching "today in the bay." welcome back. 7:10 on your sunday morning. a live picture of san ramon as

the sun begins to break. could facebook soon become a relic of the past? that is the conclusion of a researcher in england who goes so far as to say that facebook is dead. nbc's christikristin dahlgren t further look. >> i want my friends to like it, i want my crush to like it. >> reporter: but lately. >> what really happens is all my relatives decide to tell me how much i'm looking like my mother and that's not what i'm going for. >> reporter: the teen says her facebook circle isn't series much other teens as it is older family. it's the same conclusion in a new eight-country study by a british academic who say teens say facebook just isn't cooling prompting them to declare facebook is not just on the slide, it is basically dead and buried. the study found teens are instead using other apps. >> we are on instagram. we are on snap chat.

we are on vine. we are on -- some of us are on tumblr and twitter. >> reporter: all seeing explosive growth and designed to be more mobile than facebook. so could the internet juggernaut with more than a billion users really be so last year? >> is facebook really dead? >> no. it's the second most popular website in the entire world. it might not be considered cool by young people. they might be using it alongside a bunch of other services, but everyone still uses it. >> reporter: and don't forget facebook owns instagram. the company whose stock has more than doubled in 2013 isn't likely to go away anytime soon. just ask ruby who once wrote on op-ed entitled i'm 13 and none my friends use facebook. >> i don't have anything against facebook and hope that they don't have anything against me in the future. >> reporter: because it seems the book isn't yet closed on what is in the future for facebook. kristin dahlgren, nbc news, new

york. >> it certainly is still ubiquitous. well, bitcoin is upping its profile in the bay area. the company arise bitcoin launched a billboard campaign urging people to, quote, join the revolution. here is a look at the billboards which are scheduled to pop up in dozens of locations from south san jose to the east bay over the course of the next month. bitcoin is an experimental digital currency that allows users to make instant payments anywhere in the world. it's not regulated by any governments and early this month china put hilimits on bitcoin usage. coming up, a treasure found in the midtst of trash. the men who discovered this puppy and the amazing journey the dog endured to just to survive. another beautiful day in the bay area. lots of sunshine expected for you and a very mild day even at the beaches, but we'd have to spare the air and there is a red flag warning we have to talk about. we'll explain coming up after this.

you are watching "today in the bay." >> good sunday morning. 7:15 on this sunday and a live picture right now of san francisco. and a sleepy looking hill. a puppy discovered in a san francisco trash recycling facility is expected to make a full recovery. joe rosato, jr. shows us the harrowing journey that dog survived. >> reporter: every day at his job at san francisco's ecology recycling yard gregory foster watches the world's castoffs roll by. >> you name it, it came down this line. >> reporter: as a trash sorter, he scans a conveyor belt looking for things to save. >> our job is to pull off as much material as we can and try to save things from going into the landfill. >> reporter: he's never been called on to save a living thing. >> this is where i saw the puppy coming down the line. it was in the bag. >> reporter: there among the trash was a small poodle.

foster pulled the emergency cord to stop the belt. >> it was wet, bleeding, it was cut. >> reporter: workers cared for the animal number animal care and control arrived. someone appropriately named it gem. >> the dog has some bite wounds and conjunctivitis and she's expected to make a full recovery. >> reporter: the puppy's sad story has prompted hundreds of calls from people hoping to ahospit adopt it. josephine and rich added their name to the list. >> i couldn't believe how upset i was. i want to make her life happy. >> reporter: those most moved by the dog's survival were the trash sorters. they say it was dumped in a massive debris pile, jumped up by a tractor and loaded onto a shaker before plunging nine feet onto the belt. >> it's a miracle dog. there's no other word to

describe it. >> reporter: animal control is hoping to find the owner who will have some questions to answer. investigators want to know which of the dog's injuries happened before his harrowing journey. if no one comes forward, a new owner will be picked by lottery will foster says is the best holiday gift of all. >> for the rest of his life, he will have a good home and be with good people. >> joe rosato, jr., nbc bay area. we have been treated to a string of nice days. what's in store for sunday? let's check in with anthony slaughter. >> good morning, sam. we are under a red flag warning. this is for the hills above 1,000 feet. yesterday afternoon the national weather service saw fit to issue this warning so it is in place at least through 10:00 because we are talking about gusty winds in our hilltops and also humidity is very low and, of course, we've been telling you all year long one of the driest calendar years on record. let's take a look at those top wind gusts we saw over the past 24 hours.

rose peak at 35 miles an hour. even mt. die beablo at 24 hours. the valley floor, santa rosa, even san jose, only seeing winds up to 10, 15 miles an hour. just for the hills above 1,000 feet. but everybody expected to see another unhealthy air quality day because we are sparing the air once again. from the peninsula looking from foster city, we do have some beautiful colors here this morning, but again waking up to clear skies even at the coast. not expecting any fog, but here is the thing today. we are talking about a thermal trough setting up at the coast, so that means that the coast today is actually going to be warmer than some of our inland valleys, and that would make for a perfect beach day. in fact, some of our local beaches could get back into the 70s today and it's all because of this area of high pressure. it's driving our winds offshore so that's a warming wind and that's why we have the thermal trough. through the next couple days the area of high pressure will sag to the south and allow for an ocean breeze to develop.

this will mean the return of morning fog and maybe drizzle at the coast but we're not expecting any widespread precipitation although we could use it. this fog will at least help to clear out the air a bit and help us from having to spare the air once again. for today pick out your microclimate zone and you will temperatures in the south bay in the mid to upper 60s. peninsula, mid-60s there, even at the coast, san francisco going to be very warm. mid-60s there even from the embarcadero to the richmond district. napa, 65. east bay and tri-valley a good mix of mid to upper 60s with a few isolated 70s. as i mentioned, that onshore breeze is set to return as we head throughed day tomorrow. that will mean more morning fog and eventually for tuesday and wednesday the same scenario plays out but i do think we will at least look for good conditions on new year's day. again, we're looking at sparing the air for once more today, but look what happens as we head towards tuesday and wednesday. things really do start to improve and i think that onshore breeze will help clear out some

of this poor air quality. nod a bad forecast. if you have the day off, maybe a good day to hit the beach with 70s in the forecast. sam, back over to you. doesn't that music just get you in the mood. olympic fever running high. the start of the 2014 winter olympics in russia is just about a month away. this weekend u.s. speed skaters are on the ice in utah to determine who will make that prestigious team. among the hopefuls are a brother and sister from the chicago area who are hoping to keep a family tradition alive. nancy swatter pels, jr. raced in the 2010 games in vancouver. younger brother jeffrey is taking his first shot at making the team. their coach is their woman. she would be the first u.s. woman to compete in four olympic games. she's doing her best to prepare them for the games and for life. >> i think if you do the best you can and your goals are set, whatever happens, it has made

you who you are. >> between mom and daughter, a combined five olympics. jeffrey hopes to expand that family legacy. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, art takes her to new heights. her work is in restaurants and on streets across the san francisco area. up next, she will show us what she goes through to make the city a little bit more beautiful.

you are watching "today in the bay." laila is one of a series of emerging artists making a splash in the vibrant art scene in the bay area. only 22 years old, she's already completed a number of exquisite mural projects around the city. the largest is nine stories into the sky. photojournalist stevefie field visited with laila recently. >> i always loved thinking big and painting big, and when i

started painting, i kept wanting to get bigger and bigger. one of my main inspirations has been weiland. he's the famous marine muralist. maybe some day it would be nice to be at that point where i could say a wildlife muralist. encourage people and our future generations. i just remember, you know, all of the other species that live on this planet with us. so i grew up in redondo beach. a lot of my friends didn't know what they were going to do. i wasn't sure what to do. i figured i should get something practical like everyone else, and then i decided to throw that out the window and just go to art school. i just want to go to san francisco. the first i did was the rikers cafed a eddie and mason. we wanted to create a cafe

atmosphere. it was the most swinging place in san francisco in 1910. we got a lot of very eccentric people. a guy came by every day with a rainbow umbrella and a big feather boa around. he said this is beautiful and he'd start singing. the second one was the americas cup mural. that got dedicated to the fallen sailor, andrew simpson, who died during the art memis racing practice. nine levels of scaffolding. not only were you up very high in the freezing hold of san francisco, you had to wear harnesses because if you fell -- if you see the picture of us standing on the scaffolding at the end, you see the people and the figures on the mural three times the size of a normal person. the most challenging part of that was carrying just buckets of paint and water and supplies up and down.

i worked very hard and with a lot of persistence and with the kindness to others and i have already done more than i could have imagined ever doing with these murals, especially the gold dust lounge. what an opportunity. the hardest part about this is that it was on the ceiling. so after a while, you know, your neck starts to hurt, your back starts to hurt. the biggest toll is on your hands. i do that whole area on the top of the bar standing on the bar because you can't get the scaffolding over it. over on the corner on that walgreen's there, we've got some three stories of scaffolding we're working on. that one is about the history of fisherman fisherman's wharf. we're right in front of the "f" line so a lot of people are getting on and off every time. it's mostly just people saying, hey, that's beautiful. just like to be a well-known

artist some day and be able to contribute to environmentalism, to conservation, to help protect our planet for future generations. >> hard to even get a perspective on how large those murals are until you see little dots that are people right in front of it. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, we'll take you to russia where a suicide bomber killed and injured multiple people this morning. why officials believe it may be threatening the olympic games in sochi. plus an american soldier missing for over 60 years is finally laid to rest by his family.

from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> good morning. 7:30 on your sunday morning, and we start with a beautiful picture of san ramon as we get this sunday started. thank you so much for joining us. i'm sam brock in for kris sanchez. warm temperatures of late have been really nice, but they have come along with poor air

quality. is any of that set to change? let's check in with meteorologist anthony slaughter. >> you know, unfortunately, we are under another spare the air alert day. now we have a red flag fire warning issued yesterday afternoon and will continue to run through 10:00 this morning just because we're looking at the criteria for the potential for elevated fire danger. it's because of the gusty winds above those hills at 1,000 feet. really from about 25 to 35 miles an hour is what we're looking at and that's been the case really all night long and, of course, with the driest year on record, this is definitely not good news. again, just runs through 10:00. once we get to the afternoon hours, i think the winds will die down so we won't be looking at the criteria for red flag fire warning but it's going to be a beautiful day across the bay area. we're waking up to sunshine across every location. a little bit of coastal fog out there, but overall you will notice san francisco at 50 degrees, even the peninsula 46. and that is indicative of a very warm day, not only for our inland valleys, but at the coast. the coast today will probably be warmer than the inland valleys. we're headed to see highs in the mid to upper 60s.

places like half moon bay already at 61, expected to get to 70. in the valley, mid-60s. even francsan francisco, mid-60 highs today. we'll give you more details on the red flag warning as we move through the show. >> thank you, anthony. a female suicide bomber blows herself up in a russian train station killing at least 18 people and injuring many more. more than 40 actually. the state investigative committee says the bomber detonated herself in front of a metal detector just inside the main entrance of the station. the attack now garnering concerns of terrorism as russia prepares to host the winter olympics in february. it's the second one in southern russia in just three days. president vladimir putin has ordered law enforcement agencies to take all necessary measures to ensure security. federal police spokesperson says that security will be stepped up at train stations and at airports. hundreds of mourners gather at a mosque in beirut to say

good-bye to former lebanese finance minister and ambassador to the u.s. mohammed chatah. he was killed in a car bombing on friday along with six other people. the government has officially declared today a day of mourning. the politician was a sunni muslim and a staunch critic of syria and its lebanese ally hezbollah. lebanon has seen a wave of bombings as tensions rise in the shia and sunni communities. the libyan government is defending its brief detainment of four u.s. military personnel saying their convoy had failed to stop at a checkpoint and had been carrying weapons. u.s. officials said the libyan government held the men for several hours before they were released. the u.s. state department released a statement saying the americans were taking part in a security preparedness effort when they were detained. libyan officials say once their identity was established, the four americans were sent to tripoli. we have breaking news out of san francisco this morning where a woman has just died after

sustaining gunshot wounds to the face outside of a movie theater in japantown. police say the victim was shot across the street from the cue bu can i movie theater on post street just before 2:00 this morning. she was then transported to a local hospital suffering from at least one gunshot wound. police have not released any suspect information or a motive at this point. although witnesses told us they saw a silver or a gold buick speed off after the shooting carrying at least five people inside. a dui checkpoint in cupertino just wrapped up overnight, parted of a routine holiday crackdown on drunk driving. officers began screening drivers around 7:00 last night along stevens creek boulevard. this near valco fashion park until 3:00 this morning. so far police have arrested more than 300 people for drunk driving in santa clara county this month alone. detective calvin ma with the santa clara county sheriff's office says the force's efforts also have a secondary goal, education. >> the main thing is not only doing the enforcement, but we're

also doing the education as well, too. we want to get the word out, we don't want people to drink and drive. if you do, then you will be arrested by multiple agencies. >> under no circumstances should you be drinking and driving and police will be watching to ensure it. they will saturate the roadways for the new year's holiday. aaa is offering its free tipsy tow service. they have been doing it for the last 16 years. call 1-800-400-4 aa a and tell the operator you need a tipsy tow. you do not have to be a member of aaa in order to utilize that service. a u.s. soldier captured during the korean war and never heard from since was finally buried in california yesterday.

sergeant joseph gant joined the army in 1942. then in 1950 he was taken as a prisoner of war in korea. what happened next isn't exactly clear but after six decades, gant's remains were finally identified and returned home to inglewood, california. his wife who never remarried says at least she feels a sense of closure. >> i was praying to the lord to let me live to receive the closure of my husband. >> gant was posthumously awarded are a medal. this has been a dangerous and deadly past few days for some of those drawn to backcountry skiing. a bay area skier was killed in an avalanche near jackson hole, wyoming. this is video of another skier's narrow escape. now, at first the video camera mounted to the camera shows an

easy going glide. then he realizes his brother was caught in an avalanche. he does discover his brother with just his head above the snow. >> when i was deep under the snow right before it stopped completely, i was really worried i was going to be buried completely and suffocate to death underneath the snow. >> last season avalanches claimed the lives of some 24 people. experts say backcountry skiers should carry a beacon, a shovel, and a probe so they can rescue themselves. 2013 has been a year of investigations for nbc bay area. our investigative unit takes us back to see some of those memorable moments. here is chief investigative reporter tony kovaleski. >> our investigative unit has shared with you more than 150 investigations. journalism that's changed laws, exposed safety issues, and questioned decisions from some of the state's most powerful.

now a look back at 2013 through the lens of "we investigate." >> are you selling food? >> are we? >> yeah. >> oh. >> this is a box of forks that was in a shed in concord for five hours before it came here to this restaurant. >> really? >> did smith get the star treatment on that friday morning? >> he zernl did. >> did smith receive preferential treatment? >> he did not. >> whatever time off slips. it's self-explanatory. >> it's okay to change sick time to administrative leave? you're okay with that? >> first of all, it's the same thing. >> if everybody in the county did that, our budget would be totally out of control. >> i said to the flight attendant, we need to get my animals off that tarmac. they're not supposed to be on the tarmac. >> i am so sorry.

please forgive me. >> sedona's entire crate was filled with blood, feces, urine. she was in full heat stroke dying literally right in front of me. >> punched, arm gets broken. he's face down. ribs get fractured. >> how is it possible this truck driver ended up in a trauma hospital? >> well, again, there's ongoing litigation in the case. i can't discuss why it is that he suffered the injuries to the extent that he did. >> something about losing a child, you know, i have heard people say it all the time, that you don't ever want to experience that because part of you just dies. >> i apologize to our citizens. i apologize to our politicians. we don't want to hide. >> what's the message you sent by coming here to napa instead of going to speak to the senate? >> you're very antagonistic and you're reading a script.

>> i'm not reading a script. i want to give you an opportunity to respond. >> but your questions are the wrong questions. you got a job to do. >> sir -- >> it's pathetic what you're doing. >> sir, shouldn't you answer to lawmakers when they want to talk to you? >> god, i was so close to adam when he got pulled in. i knew i couldn't do anything. if they dispatched a helicopter right now, it would be too late. >> i'm elyce kirchner. >> what are you doing at my house? >> i came by to see if you could answer a few questions about your guide book. >> does it worry you not enough pilots have those skills? >> yes, it does worry me, and it should worry any, you know, responsible pilot that co-pilots are getting into cockpits these days and quite simply, they're unprepared. >> people inside know there is extensive pollution in some of these instances that can harm people and they do nothing about

it, and that is outrageous. >> can you stop and chat with us? >> i can't stop but you can chat with me as i walk. >> what do you say to those folks who feel frustrated and feel their health is at risk? >> i would say quite a lot happens and we are always open and my door is always open. i have got to go. >> you will sit down with us alt at a later date? >> you bet. >> if you have something you'd like us to look into, call our tip line 888-996-tips or send us an e-mail to theunit@nbcbayarea.com. i'm investigative reporter tony kovaleski. >> much more still to come on "today in the bay." up next, a lot is riding on the 49ers final regular season game against the cardinals. we'll let you know what a win could mean for the niners and their playoff positioning.

you are watching "today in the bay."

>> almost 7:44 on your sunday morning. a live look right now at o.co coliseum where the raiders will wrap up their season against the broncos. pryor gets the start and looks to leave the silver and black to their fifth win of the year, which would be a one-game improvement over last season if you're looking for any consolation. that's a 1:25 game. things are a bit different for the 49ers. they're in the valley of the sun today to take on the arizona cardinals. nfc playoff seedings are still very much in the air, and at stake here. by the end of the day the niners could end up anywhere from the first overall seed in the nfc to the sixth and final seed. the team says they are only thinking right now about the cardinals. >> we aren't in full control of where we're going to be seeded, so we have to go out and win to keep our momentum. >> you have no control who you play. you have no control where you play, when you play. the thing you control is how you play. >> you want to go into the

playoffs with, you know, some hard, tough wins under your belt on the road, and you want to peak at the right time. you look at the whole scheme of things, we can still be 12-4 and still have an opportunity to win our division. >> niners just have to take care of business and let the chips fall where they may. coming up, is jerry brown poised to make a run for the white house in 2016? more than two decades after his last push for the nation's top office, our political analyst, larry gerston, joins us next with the latest buzz surrounding the governor.

you are watching "today in the bay." >> jerry brown for president. hey, that kind of sounds familiar. have you heard that before? a buzz is in the air a full two generations after his earlier runs for the nation's highest office. nbc bay area political analyst larry gerston joins us and why the buzz and now? >> jerry brown, jerry brown,

jerry brown. he's always in the news one way or another. this is one of the catalytic moments when americans hunger for straight talk, the kind discussed by john mccain and chris christie. americans have an all-time low opinion about elected officials whether it's the president, congress, you name it. along those lines, many have been disappointed with the failed promises of george w. bush, think iraq, the iraq war, and barack obama. think obamacare and all the mess that's come with that. many see that combination bundled in the name of jerry brown. >> let's talk about his assets first as a candidate. he's someone who has come back to the governor's office and done a lot of things that were quite difficult in terms of their scope including that budget. >> yeah. >> how has he burnished his credentials? >> a lot of things to talk about. first of all, let's just look at experience. experience alone with jerry brown. not only is he the state's

longest serving governor, but brown has also held other offices including attorney general, secretary of state. he's also been a big city mayor. think of oakland, for example. here is the second thing, candor. brown details it like it is. even when people don't want to hear it. when he inherited a state deeply in debt, you orchestrated major cuts in social services programs, you name it. years ago when proposition 13, that very famous tax cutting initiative was passed over brown's objections, you know what he said? he said i'll do everything in my power to make it work. third thing, think of innovation. brown has been a change agent in the real sense of the term. in every elected office. as secretary of state he promoted the most influential and meaningful political report in california history. proposition 9 it was called. as oakland mayor, he attracted investment. as attorney general he won an $8 billion settlement, an active

attorney general, from mortgage lending companies for the misleading mortgages they gave to homeowners. as governor he convinced the voters to do the unthinkable, sam. taxes through proposition 30. this guy has really made some miracles happen. >> he made a salary there stumping for that proposition and ultimately did get it passed. you're saying he's historic and he is historic literally and figuratively. he's in his 70s now, so i guess does that serve as a potential on s obstacle. will we elect the oldest president in the history of the country? >> you can't dodge that question. if you're looking for obstacles, the first one you must go to is age. you have to look at age. why? he's as feaisty as they get. if he was president, he would be 78 years old when he took office, the oldest president in the nation's history. ronald reagan left office at the

age of 77. >> also a california guy. >> there you go. the second thing you want to think about with brown, the competition. let's not forget a fellow democrat hillary clinton, the most popular unannounced candidate in memory, and by the way, if she decides to pass on the possibility, vice president joe biden, he's no slouch either. and then, of course, there are half a dozen bright republicans, they would just love to have brown run because they would refer to him as a continuation of the past eight years of failed government. and then finally there's this question of attitude. kind of the other side of candor. what some folks call candor, others would call pessimism and defeatism. brown, he may be well right on the money with some of his an analys analyses, but americans don't always want to hear what they're told. many are looking for hope, inspiration, a better tomorrow. but all that said, you got to have a chuckle here. this is december. december is usually a quiet month in politics, and, you know, it's during the quiet months that we generate all

these out of the box ideas, if you will, and i got to tell you, if there's anybody out of the box, it's jerry brown. >> hillary clinton still the prohibitive favorite one would think. >> unannounced, they have organization, political action committees raising bundles of money for her. she says i'm thinking. >> that's the 800 pound gorilla. we'll see if governor brown can mix up the fight a little bit and get involved in the ring. >> it would be interesting. >> larry, thank you very much. took a nasty spill but you're back. we appreciate having you here. >> good to be back. much more still to come on "today in the bay." we will show you a famous ballpark which has been turned into a winter wonderland of sports. and waking up to plenty of sunshine here on this sunday. no fog to speak of and a very warm day. in fact, mild at the beaches. we're going to explain your sunday forecast after this.

welcome back. 7:54 is the time. we are talking about this red

flag fire warning. elevated fire danger just because we have winds gusting up to 20 to 30 miles an hour in the hills above 1,000 feet and that includes the north bay and also the east bay and the foothills just east of san jose. of course, with the humidity very low, the dry brush can ignite very quickly. we're discouraging any kind of burning and we also are on other spare the air alert for today. it is illegal to burn anything across the bay area. you will notice as we look out towards live sky camera network, we're looking at sunshine for the most part. 50 in san francisco. 39 in the south bay. even colder though in the north bay. they're at 27 degrees there. overall today, temperatures will warm back into the mid to upper 60s across the board and some of our area beaches could actually get near 70 degrees today. it's all because of a thermal trough setting up. it will continue to allow plenty of sunshine to filter in through the day. south bay, this is what we're expecting at least by noon. 60 degrees and you will notice even the peninsula very mild at least for this time of year. approaching 60 by noon and san

francisco same story. i think the other area beaches will eventually get back into the 60s with, again, close to 70 degrees. in fact, some very large microclimates in place today like half moon bay already at 61 degrees. north bay, east bay, and tri-valley expecting plenty of sunshine and, again, low 60s as we head through the noon hour. the setup, the high pressure right over us, that's going to continue to allow for sinking air, very calm winds over the next couple days, and eventually this ocean breeze will start to return onshore winds and that will allow for air quality to improve. it won't come until tuesday or wednesday. the computer modeling brings in lots of cloud cover for monday and tuesday and that's the morning fog we're expecting to be with us. but this is good news. it will eventually clear out some of the poor air quality but not for today. that air quality still remains unhealthy but look what happens as we head towards monday akder and tuesday. the air quality begins to improve. by new year's we'll be looking at pretty good air quality.

it will not be perfect but it will be improvement. some good news. fuf the day off, a good day to hit some of the area beaches. >> sage words of wisdom. can you believe this is the historical fenway park? the home of the boston red sox has once against made the transformation into the frozen fenway. this winter wonderland features an ice rink for skating and hockey games along with this year's newest edition, a giant snow ramp for sledding and tubing. that ramp will be open on open skate days today and january 1st. frozen fenway will run through january 13th. anthony, you have some boston roots. would you check that out? >> i would check that out. it will be interesting to see how it will hold up with warm temperatures. >> san francisco. >> different location but i see where you're going with that. no 5:00 or 6:00. tonight after sunday night football we have a show and, of

course, we will be back at 11:00 with all of the day's latest news. again, we appreciate your viewership this morning. we'll see you then. breaking news, a bombshell

report in the "new york times" could change deathe debate overe deadly attack on benghazi in 2012, one of the hot political topics of this year. from nbc news in washington, the world's longest running television program, this is "meet the press" with david gregory. and good sunday morning. happy holidays. the "new york times" concludes there was no involvement by al qaeda in the attack that killed four americans, including u.s. ambassador christopher stephens. they also said the attack was in part fueled by anger over an american-made video critical of islam. so des