winning season 15 of "the voice" last night. let the confetti fly. she is asinger from new mexico. she now gets a recording contract. this is the second win for kelly clarkson. >> hmm. >> a lot of excitement there. >> absolutely. right now for you at 6:00, breaking news. facebook accused of sharing your private messages and other tech companies all without telling users. what the minutelo park company is saying about the latest scandal. plus? >> this was the best day ever. i'm glad my wife got her visa. >> a yemeni mother gets a visa waiver to travel to oakland to see her dying son. when she's she'll arrive and how long she can stay. live report just minutes away. and rv revolt. another bay area city saying no to recreational vehicles allowed to park freely on the streets. "today in the bay" continues right now. good wednesday morning to

you. 6:00 right now, and thank you so much for starting your day right here with us with "today in the bay." i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. mike has a look at the morning commute. first let's head over to kari and the weather department. >> we're seeing patchy follow this morning, that's still going to be rolling by at times, especially in the north bay and the tri valley, and as we head down towards los gatos, we start out with a cool one, 49 degrees, as you step out the door, and then reaching into the low 60s today, so shaping up to be another nice one. let's get the kids up and ready, out the door for a school in martinez. upper 40s as you walk to school, and still some mostly cloudy skies, as our temperatures gradually make it into the mid-50s there today. we'll take a look at all of our microclimates coming up. you're showing slowing around two crashes. >> two more recent crashes. over in the east bay and the tri valley, look at wherever you're driving on the map, it's a smooth drive, a little slowing just building for the south bay. you saw a couple more yellow sensors pop up. we have patchy fog reported

here, showing up here coming through livermore and pleasanton as well. slowing southbound 680 and westbound 80 headed toward the crash but the crash is northbound 680 but the flashing lights may be visible. sounds like the fast lane is blocked and that will be a distraction for the southbound side. southbound 880 near "a" street the crash is on the shoulder and no major problems coming toward the bay bridge. >> 6:02 right now. tracie potts joins us live to explain what is happening with general flynn. >> the defense for flynn and the russia team thought they'd have a deal to keep flynn out of prison but the judge didn't like it, and they ended up putting a pause button, pushing the pause button on that whole thing. the russia special counsel recommended no jail time for

former national security adviser michael flynn, because he's cooperating with their investigation, but judge emity sullivan disagreed. >> you could see the judge heating up during the course of the hearing. >> reporter: "you sold your country out," the judge told flynn, questioning why he wasn't charged with treason for working as an unregistered lobbyist for the turkish government and lying to the fbi about discussing sanctions with the russian ambassador. >> to talk to the russians and to tell them that, to go easy on us after we had posed sanctions and then to say that you didn't say that, that's serious. >> mike just made a very, very serious mistake. he realizes it. he's paying for it dearly. >> reporter: the judge almost sentenced him to prison. instead they reset his hearing for march 13th, while he continues to work with the fbi. >> the fbi broke standard protocol in the way that they came in and ambushed general flynn. >> thank you very much. >> will you pardon general flynn? >> reporter: more troubles for

president trump, under pressure from new york prosecutors, his foundation has agreed to dissolve. the state's attorney general reports a shocking pattern of illegal use of charitable donations. now that foundation attorney says for years, they donated millions of dollars to hundreds of legitimate charities, and that this is a political move by the new york attorney general nevertheless, after saying they've been trying to wind this down for two years, it's now set to happen in the next 30 days. but the new york lawsuit against the foundation, that will go on. back to you. >> so interesting. tracie potts, thanks for the latest. 6:04 right now. breaking news we're following this morning, facebook admitting overnight, it allowed other big tech companies to read users' private messages. but the social media giant denies it did so without consent. the story is trending across the world. these are live pictures from

facebook and menlo park. "new york times" investigation found facebook gave companies, including netflix, spotify, among more than 100 others the ability to read, write and delete users' private messages. the deals in turn helped facebook bring in more users. spotify and netflix told the "new york times" they were unaware of the access facebook granted them. the company has been embroiled in a series of scandals this year. coming up in ten minutes, we'll check in with scott mcgrew. into the company's rocky recent past. >> 6:05. the mother from yemen who fought president trump's travel ban is expected to arrive in the bay area tonight to say good-bye to her terminally ill son. "today in the bay's" bob redell live in oakland, where the boy is being treated and sadly, might only have days to live. bob? >> reporter: marcus, the

mother's husband says she has been crying out of happiness, to be able to see her little boy, before he dies of this terminal brain condition. the boy's name is abdullah hassan. he's 2 years old. he's clinging to life on a ventilator at ucsf benioff children's hospital here in oakland. his dad, ali, who is an american citizen, has been at his side for the past month. he's tried to convince the u.s. state department to grant his wife a visa to visit, but she's from the country of yemen, one of seven countries under president trump's travel ban. u.s. representatives who include congressman jerry mcinerney and congresswoman barbara lee wrote a letter to secretary of state mike pompeo urging him to give the mother a waiver, which was finally granted this week. >> the policy has become a problem. we need to attack those, but for now, the urgency was to get this woman to this country, so she could be with her son. >> it was the best day ever. i'm glad my wife got her visa.

>> reporter: hassan's wife's visa is called a spousal visa. she'll have permanent residency here in the united states. her plane is scheduled to arrive sometime tonight. reporting live here in oakland, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> i'm sure she'll be so happy to be next to her son, bob, thank you. students in palo alto high school had a difficult december. one of their students reportedly killed in a deadly east palo alto shooting last thursday. a popular teacher also died suddenly on monday. the district tonight is hosting an open meeting for teachers and parents to talk about helping young people in the grieving process. the meeting is scheduled for 6:00. and this morning, a san jose man is behind bars after allegedly trying to kick in a homeowner's door, claiming to be a cop. 66-year-old charles whittington is facing multiple charges, including attempted burglary, impersonating police and possession of methamphetamine.

the incident happened early this month on eade lane milpitas, when the homeowners confronted whittington, he took off. he was arrested at a nearby complex. >> 6:07 right now. a san francisco district attorney believe drug makers are contributing to the opioid epidemic. now he's seeking financial compensation. dennis herrera announced a lawsuit against a large group of drug makers accusing them of misleading doctors and patients about the dangers of opioids. it also accuses drug makers of creating a public nuisance. it asks for money to cover addiction treatment costs and change in business practices. it is likely the claim will eventually be rolled into a class action lawsuit. milpitas leaders recently approved a permanent ban on all business tied to marijuana, but they still need to hash out the fine print on a permanent ordinance. happening today, city council members will hold a special session. the new law will also regulate growing pot for personal use. it is supposed to take effect in

about four weeks. >> 6:08. new this morning, rvs will soon be banned from certain san francisco streets. "the examiner" reports sf mta is preparing signage saying no to oversized vehicles. dewolf street is included and signs are starting to go up. this comes out those living in rvs were cleared out last friday. with the growing cost of living, the issue of homeless living in oversized vehicle has become a big problem across the bay area. right now, it's 6:09. as you get ready to leave in the tri valley and parts of the north bay, we've seen patchy fog. this is a look at 580 in dublin, as a lot of people head out the door and have to deal with the in and out of fog, drive in and out of fog, as our visibility there has been reduced to about five miles. it's a lot less in napa, down to about a mile and a quarter. watch out for that, if you're on your way to the fremont b.a.r.t. station, warm springs, it's in the upper 40s and reaching into

the upper 50s at noon, low 60s this afternoon, as we head up into the upper 50s and low 60s, very seasonable weather with a mix of sun and clouds. i'll also be tracking some rain in the forecast, but now as we head over to mike, you have a new crash in contra costa county? >> i do. i got more detail from chp, this is over here. we'll look at the fog which continues to come on and off, it's drifting around the north bay and patches for the tri valley. over here southbound 680 shows slowing coming off of 242 with the feed off of highway 4 and around maine we have a crash reported. i saw more slowing, i see the speed sensors starting to recover but watch for added time headed toward the walnut creek interchange. 24 is moving smoothly through the caldecott toward the bay bridge. still slow south 680 toward sunol but the northbound side is where the crash is, perhaps the distraction for the commute which is southbound for 680. guys, back to you. >> thanks, mike. 6:10. coming up on "today in the bay," what to go for, where you want to go when you want to go for a ride. elon musk finishes his very high

speed underground tunnel. we'll take a look inside, coming up. and still ahead, a rare sight, a twister touches down near seattle. coming up at 6:25, we'll take a look at the destruction left behind. interest rate day. the white house does not want to see a hike but i think we can will. we'll tell you all about it in business and tech. and a zebra breaks free from a zoo, heads toward freedom and traffic. coming up, how this wild escape ended. you're watching "today in the bay."

good wednesday morning. right now at 6:14, visibility is all clear. no fog here, as we take a live look outside at 101 in palo alto, near ikea. as you start out the day, it will be in the upper 40s and we'll gradually see the sun peeking out, headed into the afternoon, as our highs reach the upper 50s and near 60 degrees. we look at our microclimates and talk about the holiday weekend plans, coming up in less than five minutes. and across the bay from kari's shot, live pictures from fremont, southbound 880, here with the headlights northbound, past the truck scales, a smooth flow of traffic is building in volume. i'llwhat's going on with a crash in walnut creek. good morning. happy wednesday. big day today.

the fed will announce its decision on interest rates today, and that has the white house on edge. before we get to that, i want to point out these numbers on blue apron, that's the meal delivery company. it's now a penny stock. hard times. all right, interest rates. the fed wraps up its two-day meeting today. it will announce its decision on interest rates around 11:00 a.m. our time. the president does not want the fed to hike rates. he tells the fed "feel the market, don't just go by meaningless numbers. good luck." now important thoughts here. the stock market and the economy are two different things. second, president trump was very big into numbers when the market was rallying, tweeting the dow often. live pictures of facebook, which has managed to get into the third crisis in the past six days. the latest is a "new york times" report that facebook shared your private messages with outside companies like spotify and netflix.

facebook issued a statement this morning, said yeah, we did that, facebook explains it offered facebook messaging through those services. you could recommend a song through spotify or a movie to a friend through netflix. in order to make it happen, the services had to access your messages. facebook says it had user permission. but at this point, it is hard to sort out the shocking controversieses facebook managed to get itself embroiled in, from a sort of whoops, users got confused about controversies. last week, facebook said it accidentally allowed third parties to see your private photos. yesterday, the senate intelligence committee said russians used facebook to convince african-americans not to vote. this morning, the controversy over private messages. that's friday through wednesday. >> yes. >> of facebook. i think you saw a graphic behind me, it says facebook controversy, we have like ten of those. we picked the one we want to use

today because we'll use it again tomorrow. >> seems like this happens day after day. >> pretty constant now, a big pattern there. thank you, mike -- mike? scott, sorry. >> i'm unfriending her. >> sorry. okay. i'm sorry. i have a headache right now. elon musk is unveiling a new boring company plan that aims to revolutionize the way we travel. they unveiled the first one and a half mile stretch of what he hopes to become a network of tunnels that could move commuters at high speed, underground, avoiding the freeways. it's located next to the spacex headquarters in hawthorne. marcus? >> laura. happening now, the rush is on, and i am not talking about shopping. according to aaa, the busy holiday travel season officially gets under way today, whether it's to grandmother's house or somewhere else, a lot of us are going somewhere this year. about 12.5 million californians will hit the roadways, up almost 5% from last year. about 1.5 million californians will fly during the holiday

period. that's a spike of more than 5%, and the most we've seen in five years. >> check out this wild escape. it ended up on a busy street there. the escape didn't last very long. he was eventually captured and returned to the circus. >> also that woman in the video briefly had teal hair. that was cool. i thought the zebra was cool. >> i thought it was a wrap. >> i checked the video. >> oh really? >> i had to rewind. >> there you go. >> nevermind the zebra running down the street. >> whatever. the teal hair, my daughter wants that. >> uh-oh. >> show her that video -- maybe not. >> all right, well this morning, as you're getting ready, we are starting out with some high humidity, and you are also dealing with some very chilly

temperatures. here is a look outside in san francisco, low clouds rolling by and also patches of fog in some areas and our temperatures are anywhere from 44 in san martin and livermore to 54 in napa and santa rosa, and as you head out the door, around clayin' ttoclay cloudy to mostly cloudy and patches of fog there and the upper 40s and reaching into the upper 50s by later on today. we're talking about this, maybe if you're coloring your hair teal this morning, it's going to be a humid start but you also put it back in a pony tail because it is so dampout side and then we're headed into the upper 50s and low 60s today, after that morning fog and high humidity. in concord, expect a high of 61 degrees, and up to 59 in half moon bay. i'm also watching the approach of a storm system that's out there in the pacific now. we can see all the clouds and the rain that's starting to reach into the pacific northwest, while we take a break now. this rain gets here on friday, and this doesn't look like a strong system. in fact, a lot of it just falls

apart, as it moves south of the goi i golden gate bridge. some rain will be enough to measure in the north bay but the rest of the bay area will see some trace amounts of showers between thursday night and friday. saturday we're all dry, but then there will be a stronger storm system moving in on sunday late night into monday, that may continue throughout the day off and on on monday, which is of course christmas eve. as we check out how much rain we may see out of this, the first round moves in, and very light amounts, but then as we go into the end of the weekend, we'll be watching not only for king tide but the approach of the system late sunday into christmas eve, which of course a busy travel time, as you try to get somewhere for christmas. now mike, you're updating a crash that's happened on 680. >> that's right, over in contra costa county. we'll give folks a big view of the bay first, you pick your route and it's smooth south bay, peninsula, especially light right now. even the tri valley and the east bay, lighter than you typically find. slowing south 680 but the crash

is northbound, right around highway 84, still presenting a bit of slowing right there. crash 880 south at "a" street and another at whipple. the one at whipple presents a little bit more slowing but that should also clear lanes shortly. smooth flow of traffic, most places through contra costa county, south 680, we see more slowing. i said it was starting to move better but the speed sensors slowed down toward main. the crash shy of the walnut creek interchange. smooth flow of traffic for the rest of the county. looking toward the upper east shore freeway, a mild build as you pass highway 4 off the carquinez bridge and toward the bay bridge and the richmond-san rafael bridge westbound is the commute, there's slowing and fog registering on the road weather index for the north bay. richmond-san rafael bridge a slower drive. back to you. >> thanks, mike. 6:21. coming up next on "today in the bay," the california lawmaker pushing for an investigation after a migrant girl died while in the custody of u.s. border patrol agents. plus devastation and

destruction after a tornado touches down in washington state. the total damage done ahead. we want you to be careful when you're looking for government info, like dmv, social security, or public records online. your typical search engine might send you to unofficial web pages that could charge you to do things that are free on real government websites. be skeptical of web addresses that end in dot-com or dot-org. real websites end in dot-gov and don't charge to you fill out forms or applications. let us know if you have a complaint, the number is 888-996-tips, or go to nbcbayarea.com/responds. damage a

tornado ripped through new video shows damming left behind after a tornado ripped through northern washington state, 50 miles west of seattle. roofs were ripped off of homes, buildings completely destroyed. debris was scattered everywhere, as you see in these pictures. today, the national weather service will be on the ground to determine what the strength of that tornado was. so far, no reports of injuries. this morning, the attorney for the family of a migrant girl who died while in custody of u.s. customs and border patrol agents is calling for further investigation. hospital officials say jakelin maquin likely died of sepsis shock. the 7-year-old began vomiting after being picked up in a

remote stretch of the mexico desert. she died december 8th, two days later. 11 democratic members of congress, including california representative raul ruiz are calling for the independent investigation. >> there are things that we need to learn and the systemic problem that exists here. >> cbp and the department of homeland security officials deny that the agency is responsible for what happened to the girl. the trump administration is also denying responsibility for her death. a recent cal state study shows an alarming statistic. 13% of san jose state students are homeless. ra night they held a candlelight vigil to push for a solution. they are asking for extra beds in the dorms and extra parking spots on campus. one professor said he sympathizes with the students and feels their demands are reasonable. >> heartbreaking. heartbreaking. these are my students. i have had maybe three students every semester now for the past

two or three years, students have come up to me and said prof, i'm homeless, i'm living in my car or sleeping at martin luther king library. >> they can only stay for so long in shelters before getting kicked out. this is the last week of the semester and the group is only expecting the number of homeless students to rise. coming up here on "today in the bay," top stories we're following this hour. live report on the brewing battle over the future of the ghost ship warehouse in oakland and the site of the deadly fire. why investigators don't want it sold. plus, a tesla catches fire twice. the investigation now under way into what went wrong, and how the bay area driver is reacting this morning. and here is the bay bridge toll plaza for you. you see people already up and on the go. check of your morning commute and your forecast for this wednesday morning. that's all straight ahead for you. it is 6:27. you're watching "today in the bay."

and they're off. 6:30 right now. markets opening in new york city, in just moments. stocks set to rally with the dow futures up about 140 points. we'll certainly watch for that. hopefully coming for a turn-around there. good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm shall with wheremarc. we head over to meteorologist kari hall with a look at the forecast for this wednesday morning. we start off a little foggy. >> that's the main issue, especially in the tri valley and

also parts of the north bay. this is a live look outside at 580 in dublin. cars making it through the fog just fine but visibility has dropped down to three-quarters of a mile there, and we're also seeing the patches of fog drifting around parts of the north bay. elsewhere, we're mostly clear. as you get up and get the kids ready for school in the tri valley, pleasanton 45 degrees. at 54 at 11:00 and the sun breaking out more as we go into the afternoon. we'll talk about all of our microclimates and the weekend forecast. mike, you're tracking a new crash in emeryville. >> it is a sensitive area, westbound 80 around powell out of berkeley toward emeryville, a crash is reported there, but i don't see the sensors slowing much over the last few minutes. that is a critical portion, as you approach the berkeley curve. of course, we had the backup at the bay bridge toll plaza and i'll think they cleared the shoulder. the crash cleared 680 and prepare if you're headed to the caldecott you'll get company.

the south bay starts the build. back to you. >> thanks, mike. a battle is brewing over future plans for the deadly ghost ship warehouse fire. >> years ago it was the scene of tragedy. >> bob redell is at the property, which could be torn down? >> reporter: correct. the family who owned the ghost ship warehouse indicated they are going to demolish this 10,000 square foot space where 36 people died just over two years ago. this new information, according to the "east bay times." the paper reports at the same time that attorneys representing victim's families, they're asking a judge to prevent the owners from selling this property. they're suing the owners and they want to go after this asset. attorneys also want to nail down plans for a permanent memorial here for those people who died in that fire. the owners are asking to demolish the property because it's a safety threat, and because they're having to pay for 24-hour on site security, not clear when the ghost ship warehouse would be turned down.

two men who rented the space, derek almena and max harris have been charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. they are scheduled to go on trial next year. reporting live in oakland, ready read bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thanks, bob. not once but twice in the south bay hours after a tesla caught fire and firefighters put it out the electric car reignited again late last night. this is video of the car burning at dick's automotive transport. less than two hours it was in flames again. new video of fire crews working into the night hoping to keep that battery cool and prevent a third fire. the first fire happened about 2:00 yesterday morning. the car's owner took video minutes after his car was towed to that repair shop in los gatos to fix a flat tire. he says he heard a hissing noise and saw smoke and flames coming from under the car. >> no more tesla.

if this car had been in the house, and we were on vacation, and this caught fire in the garage, the whole house could go under. >> in a statement, tesla says the fire is under investigation and is glad to hear everyone is safe. >> 6:34. a driver remained at the scene when a person was hit at fremont and grimmer boulevards. we've added to last night's location there, this is to a map of 12 pedestrian deaths across silicon valley since the start of november. "the mercury news" mapped the locations and at least five are called hit-and-runs. an accused theft is caught red-handed there in antioch. police say that a neighbor called 911 after spotting a man stealing packages off of a nearby house porch there. the officer was nearby and able to arrest the suspect. he was also able to return the packages.

police warn to you require signature for your packages or sign up for a box drop. the south bay will reportedly get a boost in aff d affordable housing. "the mercury news" reports supervisors approved a plan to build six new low-cost housing projects. these are some of the it design sketches. they also approved plans to renovate three other properties. total cost for the projects $123 million. with the latest developments, the county is committed to funding close to 2,000 new housing units. san jose city council taking a big gamble on two tiny home communities. the city is approving a five-year pilot program to see if the tiny homes can serve as a bridge to get people off the streets while awaiting permanent housing. each site will have 40 emergency cabins built by habitat for humanity. one site is on marbury road across from the san jose flea market which is currently a vta construction yard. the other is a caltrans site at the intersection of highways 101 and 680.

a live look at mineta airport in san jose, where happening today, they're celebrating a milestone, and one lucky traveler will be a part of it. sjc this year leapfrogged oakland airport to become the bay area's second busiest airport of course behind sfo. sjc expects to serve a record 14.3 million passengers this year. to celebrate, one arriving passenger will be selected this morning as a symbolic record-breaker. still don't know if the winner will receive anything besides the surprise and delight and maybe some embarrassment. >> okay, 6:36 right now. the recent closures and longer than normal delays are reportedly taking a toll on muni's public image. the summer shutdown of san francisco's twin peaks tunnel was one of muni's lowlights this year. the shortage of operators compounds the problem. now, according to "the examiner"

rider satisfaction is taking a hit. the new muni survey finds approval ratings dipped to the lowest level in six years. the survey also found riders were 10% more likely this year to resort to ride share services instead. >> you have to look at that and say their ride or drive in to work, people will be focusing on the work destination and might not be as happy as they are headed to vacation. we'll give muni a bit of a break. toward the south, the vta is the transit system, neither muni near vta or any of our other transit agencies have major delays. we have this northbound 680, we continue to see slowing heading up toward caaveras. the crash looks like it may have cleared from lanes. i see the sensors going from red to orange, just at the right immediate approach to the crash. we'll track that. the orange that crept toward highway 84, the fog blowing around. we've seen it creeping in our dublin camera. be careful pleasanton and livermore. >> headed to the weekend, the

weather with kari. >> it's iffy. it's that time of year where we start to see the storm systems every few days and we'll see that for the weekend. saturday is your day to get out there. it's a busy travel day, you have shopping to do and tying up some of the loose ends. we'll see sunshine and highs reaching near 60 degrees for the bay and inland areas. sunday is when the showers return but it will be mostly during the evening hours. you're going to still have some partly to mostly cloudy skies, chance of rain late, and highs reaching into the upper 50s. if you're going ice skating on saturday, san francisco and union square is going to be a great one, with partly cloudy skies, and reaching into the mid-50s during the middle of the day, then cooling down into the lower 50s. this weekend, we will have to watch out for king tides along the coast, so half moon bay, we'll so he thee that on saturd sunday, and more clouds moving in on sunday. if you're headed up to napa, we have a nice weekend ahead. friday and saturday looking beautiful, but then by sunday,

we'll see those showers once again rolling in late with highs also reaching 60 degrees. if your plans take you to the sierra, kirkwood will start to see some of the snow flurries on friday. saturday a good day to head there for the christmas holiday. now we'll talk about today. that forecast is coming up in about three minutes. >> sounds good. coming up next on "today in the bay," a new year ahead means new laws. big changes coming statewide when it comes to pot deliveries. we're down to three days, three includes today, until a government shutdown. let's take you out to the big board, where we're anticipating an interest rate hike around 11:00 a.m. our time. dow industrials gaining 60 points. you're watching "today in the bay." rush to work, grab a drink, hurry home.

- [cell phone beeps] - stop! don't be on your phone. let someone else take the wheel. make a little eye contact. make a plan. it's a busy world out there. we're all in it together. go safely, california.

you hurry to work, so you can take it slow. - [cell phone beeps] - stop! let's stop looking at pedestrians as a nuisance, and carless objects, and start looking out for each other again. it's a busy world out there. we're all in it together. go safely, california.

(time check ( right now at 6:42, no fog as we take a live look at camera in fremont, 880 is flowing well. as you head out the door we've been watching fog dripping around the tri valley. it's going to be a cool start with some upper 40s and then reaching into the low 60s today, another nice afternoon. we'll talk about when the rain returns to the bay area, coming up in less than five minutes. the freeway a very different commute northbound as the direction is here past the coliseum into downtown around broadway, there was an earlier crash, a car spun out and went off the roadway. no major injuries slowing here. we'll track more issues for the tri valley. >> thanks so much, kari and mike. 6:42 right now.

facebook admitting overnight, it allowed other big tech companies to read users' private messages. but the social media giant denies it did so without consent. the story is trending across the world. these are live pictures from facebook and menlo park. "new york times" investigation found facebook gave companies, including netflix, spotify, among more than 100 others the ability to read, write and delete users' private messages. the deals in turn helped facebook bring in more users. spotify and netflix told the "new york times" they were unaware of the access facebook granted them. the report is waysed on 270 pages of internal documents and interviews with 50 former employees of facebook. the company has been embroiled in a series of scandals this year. new year, new laws. starting in january, recreational marijuana will be available everywhere in california via licensed delivery operations, even in places that banned pot businesses.

the bureau for cannabis control decided voters aproved proposition 64 legalizing recreational marijuana statewide. if cities do not want businesses to operate there in their jurisdictions, citizens still are entitled to have access. however, the california police chiefs association is expressing concerns and believes marijuana deliveries will increase costs for local law enforcement. the sheriff of sacramento county this week opened up about federal detainees held for i.c.e. in county jails. the county in longer houses immigrant detainees after the supervisors canceled the deal over the summer, but "the bee" reports in 2017, sacramento county held about 1,300 detainees at county facilities. more than 80% were hispanic. the sheriff provides those numbers at a meeting this week, designed to boost transparency. it is 5:44 right now. new this morning, the chief of staff from senator kamala harris is leaving office. he will be taking on a senior adviser role in her political action committee. many speculate the move comes

as harris is prepared to launch a 2020 bid for president. the president is praising a move by the senate reform sentencing laws. >> scott mcgrew, a rare bipartisan vote. >> it is. republicans, democrats working together to make changes. the senate last night voted on prison sentence reform bill the president had been pushing, it will strike down some of the three strikes sentencing rules put into place during the tough on crime era back in the bush and clinton years. it means some drug offenders will be allowed out of prison though it applies with federal prisons and federal law only. the house passed a similar version earlier so the two houses have to get together, work out the differences, and then the president says he'll sign it. there are now just three days until government shutdown. i'm counting today as a day, then thursday and all day friday, and then funding runs out at midnight. we're getting hints the democrats would be willing to

create a temporary extension and the white house won't insist on 5 billion for the wall. that's a huge turnaround from this meeting just a few days ago. here is the president's press secretary, after a reporter said hey, wait, i thought mexico was paying for the wall, not the u.s. taxpayer. >> we're not asking american taxpayers for that. we are looking at existing funding through other agencies right now that we can draw on to do that immediately. >> of course the existing money funding the money other agencies might use came from taxpayers. reporters have seen much of sarah sanders. this is her first daily briefing this month yesterday. it lasted 14 minutes and that evoked an angry reaction from reporters. >> the president that -- we'll talk to you soon. thank you, guys. >> this is a 15-minute briefing, sarah. >> this is your job, sarah! >> ooh. >> you heard those oohs at the end of that one.

we'll tracking everything happening in washington, again, three days until the shutdown. you can follow me on twitter, i'm @scottmcgrew. >> thanks, scott. this gives deck the halls a whole new meaning, even santa is not immune. philly sports can be a tough crowd. the flyers new mascot got the memo there, looking gritty dressed up as santa, playing not so nice on the ice with skating santas there. wow, knocks him down. so it started as entertainment for the crowd but got a little rough out there. maybe a former hockey player himself. >> i was going to say, seemed like a regular game of hockey. >> wannabe. >> see how many teeth gritty has. look, he goes after him. >> wow! >> might be on the naughty list. >> maybe so. or maybe he's the santa enforcer. a quick look at our weather today, started out foggy this morning. >> we're seeing the fog in watches around the bay area, especially the north bay and the tri valley.

most of the rest of the bay area looking good as you get ready to head out the door. let's get a look at our san rafael camera, looking southbound, highway 101. you can see all the tail lights there, and driving in and out of the fog, as it continues to move around the parts of the north bay. now, as we head over toward walnut creek, it will be partly to mostly cloudy as you get ready to step out the door with some mid-50s to start out the day, and reaching into the low 60s for the afternoon. it will take a little bit of time, but we will get some sunshine today. here is a live look outside in san jose, as we check out christmas in the park, and all of the cool effects there on the tree. as you get dressed this morning, you do need a warm jacket to start out, maybe the dress shoes will be a good option for you today. we don't have to worry about wearing the rain boots or it's a little too cool for the flip-flops. we're going to see our high temperatures reach into the upper 50s and low 60s, up to 58 degrees in oakland and 61 degrees in san jose. morgan hill reaching 63 degrees. i'm also watching some changes

in our weather, as we start to see this storm system move closer. it's still well out into the pacific, and bringing some rain to the northwest. as we go into the next few days, this will weaken, as it moves in, but still bringing in some scattered showers, mostly for the north bay, late thursday night, into early friday morning. by the time it reaches south of the golden gate bridge, a lot of that rain kind of falls apart. most of us will continue on with some dry weather. saturday looking good, partly cloudy skies, it's your day to get out there and get things done, because on sunday, there will be another system approaching, moving in from the north, and working its way south between sunday night and yes, christmas eve. looks like we could see widespread rain moving through. our rain totals with the initial line of rain early friday will bring us maybe a tenth of an inch of rain near ukiah, elsewhere barely measuring anything, but the more widespread rain that moves in late sunday into monday will bring at least a tenth of an inch of rain for the south bay, and up to a quarter of an inch

of rain for napa. higher amounts farther to the north. here is a look at our seven-day forecast, unsettled. king tides may cause coastal flooding saturday and sunday. mike, you are taking us across the dumbarton bridge. >> commute area westbound is flowing fine. counter commute you usually don't have to worry about things. you have to worry 84 east from facebook, slowing approaching 880. tanker truck has been involved in a crash there and there may be a small leak which may involve stuff getting into the soil and hazmat situation. we're waiting on that assessment. two lanes are blocked toward 880. another exit to get off before you get toward the newark exit, get off here and take thornton,

that will get you around that. we don't know when that will clear. back to you. happening now, a new report giving insight about women and children. 65% of women in their child bearing years are actively trying no the to conceive. sterilization is the most common method followed by birth control, implants and iuds. next a quick look at the top stories including the mother from yemen now allowed to see her dying son here in the bay area. is a saga that took national attention and how she challenged president trump's travel ban and won. it is 6:51. we're back with more news in just minutes. in the bay--

welcome back. before you head out the door, it is 6:54. here are the top stories on "today in the bay." we begin with that breaking news. u.s. troops to leave syria as president trump declares victory over isis. the two senior defense officials said the white house would announce the move as early as today. the u.s. military confirming having more than 500 u.s. troops in syria, even though defense officials acknowledge having more than 2,000 at times. we'll continue to follow that story and we'll have more for

you at nbcbayarea.com. the mother from yemen who fought president trump's travel ban and received a visa waiver yesterday from the state department is expected to arrive in the bay area tonight. she's coming, sadly, to say good-bye to her terminally ill son at oakland hospital. her husband tells us she's crying tears of joy to see her little boy, before he dies. >> it was the best day ever. i'm glad that my wife got her visa. >> is 2-year-old abdullah hassan has a brain condition, and is on life support. doctors say he may only have days to live. still no word on what caused a tesla model "s" to erupt in flames not once but twice. the first fire happened around 2:00 yesterday afternoon. here it is, as it caught fire at the los gatos repair shop. the owner brought it there for a flat tire, and says that he heard a hissing noise before it caught fire. firefighters say later, after being towed to campbell, it

burst into flames for a second time. tesla says the fire is under investigation and it is glad to hear that everyone is safe. and students at palo alto high school have had a difficult december. one of their students was reportedly killed in a deadly east palo alto shooting last thursday. according to palo alto weekly, a popular teacher there died suddenly on monday. as a result, the district tonight is hosting an open meeting for teachers and parents, this to talk about students, talk to students about their grieving process. that meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at mitchell park community center. this morning, a san jose man behind bars after allegedly trying to kick in a homeowner's door, claiming to be a cop. 66-year-old charles whittington is facing multiple charges, including attempted burglary, impersonating police and possession of methamphetamine. the incident happened early this month on eade lane milpitas.

when the homeowners confronted whittington, he took off. he was arrested at a nearby business complex. milpitas leaders recently approved a permanent ban on all businesses tied to marijuana, but they still need to hash out the fine print on a permanent ordinance. happening today, city councilmembers will hold a special session. the new law will also regulate growing pot for personal use. it's set to take effect in about four weeks. a proposal aimed at helping students go to college for free in san francisco is moving forward. voters will make a final decision in november. if passed, the measure would require the city to subsidize the cost of tuition at city college of san francisco. this comes after the city board of supervisors voted to place that issue on the ballot. the pilot program was set to expire next year. sacred heart of san jose working to give back to kids just in time for christmas. right now, volunteers are wrapping toys and books for those in need. the gifts will be given out

later this morning. the nonprofit group says over 6,000 kids will be given two toys and one book each. and happening today, that rush is on. live look at sfo, and according to aaa, the busy holiday travel season officially gets under way today. about 12.5 million californians will hit the roadways, up almost 5% from last year. about 1.5 million californians will fly during the holiday period. that's going to be a lot of people in and out. i'm headed out this weekend and coming right back. >> that's right, 'tis the season to travel. there you go. >> exactly. >> a pretty nice morning in the bay area. >> yes, we're dealing with patches of fog here and there around the bay area. we are going to get some sunshine today, highs in the low 60s, and then we'll be watching out for some showers late tomorrow night into early friday morning. saturday is looking good, but also the king tides along the coast may cause some flooding there, and that will also be with us on sunday.

more widespread rain on sunday into christmas eve, and it's going to be slightly cooler, going into christmas day, still some scattered showers moving through. >> throughout the bay area on christmas? >> yes. >> just in case kids want to take their new bikes for a ride. >> we're going to get snow in the sierra, that will be a good place for christmas, watching the snowfall. >> if you're lucky enough to head up there. >> a little rain and snow never hurt anyone. >> unless you're driving a sleigh, be careful. >> speaking of that, concerns, two crashes? >> two crashes right now, yes, counter commute, but if it is your commute, it's a big problem. most of the bay a pretty smooth drive right here, but getting off of the dumbarton bridge, we will have a problem for a while. they're waiting for a larger tow truck to right an overturned tractor trailer. at the transition from eastbound 84 getting off the dumbarton bridge, onto the nimitz freeway, that is a problem for you. select group of people but it's building through ardenwood area of fremont and newark. northbound 680 slow but the crash at andrade may have cleared another lane.

>> that's what's happening "today in the bay." we'll be back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> don't forget to join us for "nbc bay area news" at 11:00. thanks for starting your morning here with us on "today in the bay." we leave with you a shot of san francisco. good morning. bracing for it. nasty weather set to blanket much of the country, creating christmas chaos for millions of more than 110 million americans during the peak of the holiday travel rush. just ahead, what you'll face on the roads and at the airports. plus, al's very latest forecast. stalemate? with the clock racing towards friday's deadline, the government inches closer to shutting down. the president hints he could be ready for a compromise. >> we'll see what happens. >> we're live with the latest signs coming out of the white house. zeroing in? investigators return to the home of a california mom's fiance and search for clues one month after