over 16,000 people have died. coins like mario does in the facebook is cracking down on video games. anti-vaccination ads. comcast does own universal the company is lawn pg a new global policy banning ads that studios and this station, nbc bay area. discourage people from getting >> nice to see if they can do one in california. vaccinated. the policy publicly identified by global health organizations. 6:00 a.m. this morning and this change is aimed at further we're one hour into the latest red flag warning for the bay reducing offensive or false area. that means widespread high fire danger. we have live team coverage on content. the conditions including the chaos to a decades old heat and wind and the potential admissions process as san francisco's most prestigious power shutoffs within hours. public high school. lowell high school is a magnet for the academic elite. we're watching washington as this year "the chronicle" well where any minute now the third day of hearings begin for reports lead hers to adjust judge amy coney barrett's their admissions process because supreme court nomination. the district went to pass/fail a live report from capitol hill is just moments away. when distance learning took over the third hour of "today in the and normal state testing never bay" continues right now. took place. good wednesday morning to you. we are glad that you're with us. they used a lottery system for i'm kris sanchez in for marcus washington. the incoming class. that is prompting outrage among parents, students and alumni. >> good to have you,ike in a little bit.

warning, high heat they will vote on the lottery next week. conditions, a lot of concern. absolutely. and it's because we are going to bay area mountains and hills have hot temperatures and those being watched closely right now. winds gusting. this includes pretty much all of the north bay except for the immediate coastline and also includes the diablo range and the santa cruz mountains, these cierra, there are people who elevations above 1,000 feet. we're going to have to deal with have to be on high alert. this from today through friday morning until we start to see those winds calming down. it will be hot this afternoon >> reporter: folks are waiting for that psps event. reaching up to 94 in concord, 89 if they were impacted they would in san jose and palo alto and have received that notification by email or automated phone call san francisco will reach into the low 80s today so we'll or a text. continue to monitor that as well now it's just a waiting game. as what's ahead in the forecast. according to a pg&e spokesperson more on that coming up in a few this event is expected to begin minutes. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? kari, first of all, good around 6:00. at that point it could impact news. the problem in downtown oakland haveten-minute delays. 33,000 people. the bay bridge toll plaza, mlay the power company has meteorologists on staff and they're keeping a close eye on both the temperatures and the minutes. the last ten we've seen metering wind, both of which are very big lights turn on. there you go at the toll plaza,

factors in the shutoffs if they the maps shows you a slower drive from oakland drive up the persist throughout the day. incline. no major problems. 21,000 more people could see a there is a crash in san pablo i'm tracking and a little shutoff around 8:00. we did have a chance to speak slowing for san jose. back to you. with some folks impacted by this. take a listen to what tim from thanks so much, mike. oakland has to say. happening now day three of judge amy coney barrett's supreme >> i think about what everybody court nomination hearing has else in the state is going through. i don't think we have it too bad just started. >> "today in the bay's" tracie around here. potts is live in washington i wish it weren't happening. where it will be another day of tough questions as the >> reporter: and that's the presidential race heads into its sentiment a lot of people say they wish it weren't happening final weeks. but understand why it is. a lot of questions but maybe not pg&e hoping to ease that blow by as many answers as people were hoping, tracie. reassuring folks they're working to keep the frequency of these >> reporter: right. events shorter as well as the and that was delivered on the number of people that are part of judge barrett who said impacted a bit smaller. she did not want to tip the they've been sharing that they scales, so to speak, with any want to have that power restored within 12 daylight hours after hint of how she might rule on the event is over. any case if she's appointed to they also have helicopters, more the u.s. supreme court. let's look live right now inside helicopters, to search the lines to make sure that everything is that hearing room where they are okay and they're able to safely just about to get under way. re-energize those lines. judge barrett has arrived and so we're live in oakland hills, have many of the lawmakers who cierra johnson for "today in the will question her again today. bay."

all right, kari hall, let's shorter rounds today, though. they're doing 20 minutes and talk about the diablo winds and then ten minutes and then why they are so dangerous for they're supposed to go into a us. closed session at some point today and then that's the last we'll see of her even though the yes, so what's happening right now we've seen high hearing will continue tomorrow. pressure set up across the meantime we are also watching region and the way it's what's happening on the campaign positioned gives us offshore trail. both candidates back out in wind where that high pressure, that clockwise wind flow blows battleground states with joe biden visiting michigan and in from the northeast. announcing president obama will that northeasterly wind is going now join him on the campaign to be very dry and some of those trail and president trump headed gusts at times could reach 20 to to with a with today which could possibly over 50 miles per hour. be a little tricky for him. he's up in some polls, down in so that's the main concern for some polls, and they also have a us as it moves over our mountains. it continues to dry out as it big influx of coronavirus. descends down from the hills, here's the president talking about why he's there. and it's also going to give us >> i know it's risky to do that, some but you have to do what you have air coming in over the mountains to do. i'm the president. rather than the ocean. i can't sit in the basement. suburban women, will you please like me? >> the only senior donald trump cares about, the only senior is senior donald trump. that diablo wind speeds up and the relative humidity levels can drop very low so that's the

reason we do have the red flag >> reporter: you heard him talking about suburban women. warning. we'll see that continuing you heard joe biden referring to through today as well as tomorrow. looking at our wind speeds for seniors. they are now targeting very some of the valleys mostly specific groups that they hope looking at 10 to will help them in this election 15-mile-per-hour winds. at times it may gust up to 30. now less than three weeks away. as you go up in elevation those we're watching it all live this winds are even higher. morning. i'm tracie potts, "today in the that may reach over 50 miles an bay." hour. we're going to continue to watch >> thanks so much, tracie. that. we'll let you know if we see any and president trump will join nbc's savannah guthrie tomorrow high win gusts from the diablo night for a town hall which you can watch here on nbc bay area. range as well as what's happening in the north bay. we'll talk more about that as it begins at 8:00. the president will talk to well as temperatures coming up florida voters on critical in a few minimum. issues impacting the nation just three weeks away from the election. let's head over to mike now. continuing our coronavirus kari, first i have to make a coverage now new research out of mental note to look up that stanford concludes america is nowhere close to herd immunity. warming and heating term. the massive antibody testing the nimitz south through study looked at blood samples from thousands of patients on hayward, a little bit of slowing. dialysis across 46 states . everythinges nicely. it finds less than 10% had been the arrow westb affected. herd immunity happens when around san pablo dam road.

two-thirds of the population has antibodies. the study finds population density may be the largest contributors to spreading of there may be a quick traffic covid. break. another holdup, the metering lights are on at the bay bridge. middle lanes are moving well and traffic is held up a bit right now. the vote for b.a.r.t., that earlier delay holds on ten minutes but no more problems reported for downtown oakland. back to you. >> thank you, mike. >> thanks so much, mike. it's 6:10. a popular bay area restaurant reopens for indoor dining today and, guess what, it is already booked up for weeks. >> can you guess which restaurant? if you can't we'll tell you. plus -- another silicon valley company says work from home will last forever. take you out to the futures. the vice chairman of the fed says it's going to take at least another year for the economy to recover. that has wall street caught off guard. plus, why this fan's move is going viral.

a heartwarming for this wednesday morning. >> so cute. woman 1: get your vote-by-mail ballot?

woman 2: you can stay healthy and fill it out from the safety of home. surfer: or you can fill it out anywhere. man 1: it's easy to mail it back. you don't even need a stamp. man 2: or you can use an official drop box. woman 3: you can even drop it off at the polls. man 3: then, track it to confirm your county got it. see? they got it! woman 4: mail ballots are the simple, safe, and secure way to ensure that your vote is counted. to wear a mask out in public around other people. sure it'll keep you healthy. but more importantly, i won't have to see your happy smiling face. ugh.

and if you don't want to wear a mask, i've just got one thing to tell you. scram, go away. ugh. caring for each other because we are all in this together. so wear a mask and have a rotten day, will ya? ugh. right now at 6:13 let's head to the south bay with a look at how our morning will shape up. we're going to have the best time to get outside before 11:00 as we'll see our temperatures going from the upper 50s to the

mid-80s. keeping in mind our normal high temperatures just 75. we'll talk about this heat and the high winds in the forecast coming up. and over here we're looking at the slow drive for west 80. the upper east shore freeway, san pablo dam road. word that tow truck is on scene. that's why there's more slowing. flashing lights and that one lane that's blocked. the bay bridge toll plaza looks green across the span. traffic moves very smoothly. you do have the backup at the toll plaza metering the traffic. that's what the metering lights are for, of course. well, good morning. a very happy wednesday to you. people ask me what's new i say i live where i work, work where i live. not a whole lot is new and i assume the same is true with you as well as so many of us who work from home. twitter says it will allow people to work from home as long as they want. now san francisco's dropbox says it's not just going to allow

people to stay at home, they're going to make it policy. they're not coming back. the company's ceo writing starting today dropbox is becoming a virtual first company. remote work will be the primary experience for all employees and the day-to-day default for individual work. another vaccine effort has been temporarily paused. eli lilly joins johnson & johnson. futures are trading mostly flat. the trial of elizabeth holmes going forward. she and another top executive at theranos will start march 9th. the pair had argued the accusations against them were too broad and the process was taking too long. prosecutors narrowed the accusations and the judge says the delays are mostly because of the pandemic. facebook founder mark zuckerberg and his wife donating another $100 million to voting efforts including paying for the

rental of locations for voting and ppe for election workers. they've donated hundreds of millions before. the idea of private donations funding balloting efforts even in a nonpartisan way does make some people uncomfortable. a conservative group is suing to stop it. jpmorgan chase ceo jamie dimon the latest to say the u.s. congress needs to pass another stimulus bill to save the economy. democrats have already passed a bill in the house but republicans have said it's too expensive. president trump who has been all over the spectrum on stimulus has tweeted go big or stay home. siding with the idea of a bigger stimulus. a split in the republican party with the senate saying it's too expensive and the president wanting it. then again a week ago, exactly a week ago, the president said all negotiations should stop until after the election. >> yeah, just one week and three weeks to go. rt will, scott.

happening today food lovers salivating over the indoor reopening of a popular san francisco restaurant. the sf gate headline says it all. reservations booked solid at the house of prime rib. if you've been there you know how popular it is. this is video of the annual event the niners hold there. that's a lot of beef. enjoy as long as you were lucky enough to book early. >> i feel like i'm watching a flintstones video, the meat cuts are so big. you can't stop the music but you can always take it somewhere else. stevie wonder left motown records after nearly 60 years with the label. he's releasing two new songs. take a listen to the song featuring gary clark jr.

♪ >> all proceeds from that song go to feed america, motown signed stevie wonder when he was just 11 years old. have you seen this viral video? surveillance camera caught this georgia woman doing a happy dance in a parking lot. this is right after she was hired for a new job. the "today" show is meeting up with the woman and her new boss to find out how the first weeks are going. that's right after "today in the bay." she's happy. >> that's how i felt after i was

hired here at "today in the bay." i don't know about you, kari. absolutely. we're still dancing every morning, right? >> of course. >> one thing i've been watching -- yep. let's talk about our weather. we've been watching the red flag warning. i know we're always talking about it. you're probably like what exactly is it? it is issued from the national weather service about 12 to 24 hours in advance of a time we're expecting relative humidity levels to be at 15% or less as well as some of the frequent wind gust that is can reach 25 miles per hour and they both have to happen simultaneously. we are going to see relative humidity levels dropping today and this is a look at the forecast that shows you, look at the time line, relative humidity levels in napa are at 8%. very low there and even lower for some of our upper elevations and it's going to continue. normally during the overnight hours we see humidity levels going up but it's going to stay very low.

15% in napa and 20% in livermore. we're really concerned about that as well as the high winds combining with these hot temperatures that we'll see today. so clear lake will reach 94 degrees. 94 in concord, san jose in the upper 80s. waem see a lot of upper 80s up and down the peninsula into san francisco and so high pressure is what's giving us this weather setup where we have our winds blowing offshore, very dry conditions. eventually that will move off towards the east and kind of fade out and not be as much of an influence on our weather. it will give us a chance to cool off going into next week. in the near term we're continuing to watch this red flag warning. our high fire conditions just means that you need to stay alert and make sure you have that nbc bay area app in case something does start to spread rapidly. you have the latest information. and we're going to see our temperatures in the mid-90s for today, tomorrow, as well as friday. and then it starts to come down early next week but it's also going to be really hot in san

francisco. we'll continue to watch those temperatures spike into the upper 80s but it will feel much better going into the weekend as well as early next week. how is it looking right now for the morning commute, mike? kari, there's two slow spots. the first one, the bay bridge toll plaza, the backup is there. the metering lights were turned on just before 6:00. traffic is moving well and good movement in the middle lanes. lighter because look at the map. we have the backup not on the berkeley curve but further north. the tow truck is there. one lane blocked. smooth through the berkeley curve. another crash past 680 and vargas still in lanes. a crash in san jose. 101 is moving smoothly at the

bottom of the screen. back to you. >> thanks, mike. coming up next nbc bay area responds. the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. because the size of your wallet shouldn't determine

whether or not you're in jail. vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail.

>> reporte is concerts as we remember them probably will not resume anytime soon. over the past few weeks we've been speaking with artists, promoters and venue operators about the future. they all seem to agree the six-foot rule is a huge hurdle. >> we don't anticipate we'll have concerts until there's a

vaccine and the social distancing is a thing of the past. >> reporter: but that doesn't mean all live music has gone silent. tonight after the billboard awards we'll show you how some musicians are getting creative to keep playing and a sneak peek at some unexpected stages. please join us again tonight after the billboard music awards. no doubt there's a lot on everyone's plate these days from politics to covid-19. so it's important to surround yourself with positivity and inspiration. >> as "today" show's hoda kotb is releasing a book called "this just speaks to me." we had a virtual chat wondering where the quotes come from. >> i feel like i got a lot of my wisdom for this book from the people i work with and there are some quotes that come from them. i feel sometimes you need to hit pause in your life and stop the chaos. stop ingesting all this bad

stuff. take a beat, open the book, clear your mind, read a quote and let it speak to you. >> she also suggests incorporating the quote into your daily life. that new book "this just speaks to me" is on sale now. and take a look at this, guard dogs may be showing their pride over this fearless feline. a family in sarasota, florida, says a couple weeks ago they heard a banging at the front door. it was an alligator trying to climb up and in. that's when the cat sat in front of the door and started staring down the gator. you see it right there on the bottom. the picture is viral. it has more than 95,000 shares. >> that's scary. how about this with your morning coffee. dunkin' is releasing a ghost pepper doughnut that contains strawberry icing flavored with cayenne and sugar on top.

it debuts across the bay area starting today. as we've been telling you and showing you the wildfire season in full swing in california. >> and we can use any help in fighting those fires including video of robot firefighter. next where this is already in action. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 6:30 gusty winds, hot temperatures and

possible power outages all in play right now across the bay area. what you need to know about the high fire danger as you wake up. and questions continue for president trump's pick forvacan. a live look at the hearing of amy coney barrett that started about 30 minutes ago. what she's saying about same-sex marriage. the third hour of "today in the bay" continues right now. i'm kris sanchez in for marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. we'll check in with mike in just a moment. quickly to kari because we're concerned about the high fire conditions out there. hot day ahead. yeah, right. we've had the red flag warning for about an hour and a half now. it continues through 11:00 on friday morning. we are going to have high winds and low humidity in the areas shaded in red which includes all of the for the bay except for the immediate coastline, the diablo range and we could see the wind gusts over 50 miles per

hour combined with hot temperatures. we are really concerned about any fires that do develop could spread rapidly and so we're looking at temperatures this afternoon reaching into the upper 80s for the south bay and peninsula. some mid-90s for the inland areas and even warming up along the coastline into the 80s today. we'll talk more about this and other concerns in the forecast coming up in a few minimum. mike, what concerns do you have for the morning commute? >> a little bit of a change. can you see it? our director ken will show you at the bottom of the screen the map circled north 101 where there is slowing at mckey. it is presenting a bit of a distraction on the shoulder. 680 southbound distraction toward vargas. things were smoothing out but there may be a crew to help clear the lanes. i expect a little slowing through fremont heading south. over here expect recovery westbound 80 at san pablo dam road. the all clear from chp. that means the circled area, a

live look you're going to see more traffic over the next few minutes. >> thank you very much, mike. it is 6:32 right now and happening now day three of the senate confirmation hearings started for supreme court nominee judge amy coney barrett. there you see california senator dianne feinstein questioning. this is a live look right now. lawmakers continuing the questioning today. yesterday democrats took barrett to task for her stance on the affordable care act and abortion rights. this morning the first questions were about same-sex marriage. >> so we talk a lot about laws legalizing same-sex marriage. what's the name of the case? and if anybody tried to change that precedent one of the things you would look at is a reliance in people that formed around that piece of legislation? >> yes. >> the same can casey and roe? >> yes.

>> provided she clears this hurdle a final senate vote could happen in two weeks. democrats say they don't have the vote to stop the confirmation. we're streaming this hearing live on our nbc bay area app. our scott mcgrew will also go more in-depth in about ten minutes. a live look at san jose which is one city in the bay area's largest county seeing major changes today in terms of covid restrictions. both santa clara and alameda counties enter the orange tier of the state's covid monitoring system. "today in the bay's" bob redell live in palo alto. big news for restaurant owners and maybe for some other folks,. >> reporter: correct. good morning to you, kris. restaurants here in palo alto and throughout the rest of santa clara county can now allow more people inside their establishments, as you mentioned. santa clara county moved into the orange tier of reopening which means restaurants can now

operate at 25% capacity. the state is allowing 50% capacity but santa clara county has decided against that. they're being extra caution to try to stop the spread of covid-19. here is the owner of the restaurant in san jose. he's concerned that operating at just 25% capacity instead of the 50% won't be enough to save businesses that are struggling. >> 25% for restaurants is not enough to make a living. >> and it's really important limitations we've put in place to help try to reduce the density, to help try to reduce risk for the community, and we will be out there with our enforcement teams ensuring there's compliance. >> reporter: santa clara county is slowly loosening the restrictions on other indoor operations as well including church services a capacity but no more than 100

people inside. just across the street from us the stanford cardinals football team will be allowed back on campus to practice starting today. this is video from last week when the team practiced at wood side high school which is in san mateo county. stanford is scheduled to play the first game on november 7th in oregon, their first game the following week. san jose state will later this week. and just like santa clara county a.m. me da county has moved no the orange tier of reopening. that county won't make any major changes for another two weeks not until october 26th. the same goes for movie theaters and places of worship. indoor malls will open at 50% capacity. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> a lot of folks have been looking forward to that. thank you, bob. children in san francisco finally are allowed to go back to the swings and the slides at

their local playgrounds. they are reopening today with changes, of course, in order to keep everyone safe. what you need to know, no food and drink is allowed and anyone over the age of 2 has to wear a mask. the city is also installing hand washing stations. new state guidelines are out ahead of halloween, trick-or-treating is highly discouraged and ringing doorbells or touching the buckets full of candy they are saying just don't do it. it could increase, of course, the spread of covid-19. some cities like san francisco are going one step further banning public haunted houses. any kind of events or gatherings of 12 or more people. and a new agreement to help make it in the bay, the city council approved funning to start rebuilding affordable housing that was destroyed in the 2017 tubbs fire. santa rosa reached an agreement with the urban development department to use nearly $40

million to create new homes. the fire destroyed more than 5,000 structures in sonoma and napa counties and more than half of them were homes in santa rosa. a new way to put out fires. for the first time yesterday they put a new firefighting robot into action to assist in putting out a massive commercial fire. the remote controlled robot is called the rs-3. it helps clear debris inside so firefighters could attack the fire safely. back to our top story here, red flag warning that went into effect with the last hour. and live team coverage of the possible danger that is now in effect. >> reporter: and i'm cierra johnson in oakland hills. when the blackouts are expected to begin. right now the wind are fairly calm around the bay area except for some of our upper

elevations and around mt. diablo we are going to continue to see the winds picking up. more on that in a few minimum. the candidates are crisscrossing competitive states, but president trump finds himself defending a state he won easily in 2016. take you out to the big board this morning. president trump saying go big or stay home. he wan a stimulus. not much movement on wall street. you're watching "today in the bay." (garage door opening) it is my father's love... it is ra. don't even think about it! been there, done that. with liftmaster® powered by myq®, know what's happening in your garage- from anywhere.

you can take a day off fromy worrying about your packages. ♪ ohhh yeahhh! just connect your myq® app to key. ♪ ohhh yeahhh! get free in-garage delivery with myq® and key by amazon.

right now at 6:40 we just had a 39-mile-per-hour win gust on mt. diablo while it's all quiet and calm in the valleys and you have those high winds that will combine with some hot temperatures meaning high fire danger for the bay area. looking at mid-80s by 1:00 in the afternoon in walnut creek. we'll talk about what's ahead in our forecast and when it cools off coming up in a few minimum. 6:41. to decision 2020. 20 days until the official election day. but, scott mcgrew, for a lot of folks election day has already come and gone. you've already worn out your sticker. >> worn out my sticker and gotten my text from the registrar of voters saying my ballot was received and safe. millions of americans have done this. we've seen long lines as people choose to vote in person as well. candidates are still out campaigning mostly in key

states, ohio, pennsylvania and florida. here is the president in pennsylvania talking about his bout with coronavirus. >> i have to get out and i have to meet people and i have to see people, and i know it's risky to do that, but you have to do what you have to do. i'm the president. >> it's become painfully clear this response has caused one of the worst tragedies in american history. the only senior donald trump cares about, the only senior is senior donald trump. >> that was joe biden speaking to seniors and others at a community center in florida where nearly 2 million people have already voted. florida, as you remember from bush/gore, is a key state. it really is in almost every election. biden said yesterday if he wins florida he will know that won the election. a reminder we may not know who won the election on election night. and that's okay. there is no law that says we

need to know election night who the next president is. president trump, who is actively courting seniors, sent a strange tweet making fun of joe biden saying he should be a resident not a president. resident like as in assisted care facility. that may not sit very well with seniors. i mentioned the three states of ohio, pennsylvania and florida being key. president trump is having to play defense campaigning in states he easily won last time like iowa. he'll be in >> can i ask you to do me a favor? suburban women, will you please like me? please. i saved your damned neighborhood, okay? i don't have that much time to be that nice. can i do it but i have to go quickly. >> nbc announced it would host a town hall with president trump on thursday, the same time abc will host a town hall with joe

biden. this comes after president trump refused to participate in a debate scheduled for tomorrow after the nonpartisan commission on presidential debates said the event should be virtual for safety reasons. lots of people taking exception to nbc scheduling it at the same time on twitter. we're tweeting about that. join us in the conversation. you can find me on twitter @scottmcgrew. >> a little more info on that town hall. president trump joining nbc's savannah guthrie for that town hall right here on nbc bay area. it starts at 8:00 in the evening. the president will talk to florida voters about critical issues impacting the nation just three weeks away from the election. new details this morning. california's republican party hinting at deploying more unauthorized ballot drop boxes. they're set up in three counties, none in the bay area. this week the secretary of state and attorney general both called them illegal. a gop spokesperson says the boxes were put out to boost turnout where congressional races are close.

he says the gop plans to change labeling on the boxes to avoid confusion. a follow-up out of gilroy where part of one neighborhood is still closed after a home explosion that injured the homeowner neighbors were rocked by the blast which happened monday. the homeowner is still in the hospital and the bomb squad is looking at the possibility there could be more devices inside the home. they are asking the fbi to determine if the homeowner has any ties to terrorism. 6:45. a live look outside overlooking san jose. high fire danger returning to the bay area and a red flag warning. cierra, the oakland hills could be on the verge of losing power once again. >> reporter: we just spoke to someone who received those

notifications. folks are preparing for those blackouts. according to pg&e the blackouts are expected to begin as early as 6:00. it's at that point 33,000 customers throughout this county, solano, sonoma and napa counties could all be impacted. the power company has meteorologists on their team that are on standby that will keep a close eye on both the temperatures and the wind. those combined are big factors in the shutoff. if both persist another 21,000 could then be added to that shutdown around 8:00. we have a chance to speak with a resident here, a business owner, rather, to get a feel of how they feel about the looming psps. take a listen. >> i stick as much as i can in the freezer, i do all i can. >> reporter: folks here, not only business dealers, preparing

for what could happen at 6:00. pg&e has made it known they're working to reduce the number of people impacted by the shutoffs. they've also shared with us they're wanting to get the power turned on as soon as possible. 12 daylight hours at the end of the event. when that flag alert is over, more helicopters in the air to check the power lines so they're able to get things up and running sooner. 6:00 is the key time according to pg&e for when the shutoffs could begin. live in oakland hills, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks for pinpointing that critical time, kre air a. kari is keeping her eye on that red flag warning. you say it'sow morning? >> until friday morning at 11:00. this will last a while. we will potentially have several people without power for an extended period of time. prepare for that.

our red flag warning covers the north bay excluding the immediate coastline as well as much of the diablo range and santa cruz mountains this is where we will have the wind gusts reaching over 50 miles per hour and we are also going to see a strong wind that will blow offshore so here is what's going on. we have this high pressure that's been building off the coast and the position is giving us wind coming over land as opposed to a cooler and more humid air that's coming in from the ocean. and at times once again we're expecting those winds to continue to gust and our upper elevations will see winds up to 50 miles an hour. that as it moves over the mountains, that air will descend and dry out and so that's what we call heating because of the heating that goes down into the valleys it is very dry and that creates very dry vegetation.

we do have to be very careful as we can see some very dry vegetation. we know that has been made worse by our severe to extreme drought. our temperatures today will be hot. we're reaching up to 95 degrees in the inland areas and it may be even hotter as you go up in the higher elevations above 1,000 feet. this will be an influence but then gradually we will have cooler weather finally by next week. much nicer but we do need to make it through the next several days with our highs in the inland valleys reaching into the mid-90s. i think monday and tuesday we'll have some real relief. some upper 80s, wouldn't be surprised if we have some 90s. a weak ocean breeze kicks in and we'll see that continuing to strengthen as we go into early next week.

of course we'll have all those updates on the red flag warning. have that nbc bay area app so you can get some alerts. mike, do you have any alert for the morning commute right now? one is the good kind and one is the traffic kind. we have a backup because the metering lights are on. a lot more folks are heading down as a result of the crash clearing. quick recovery through san pablo. west 24, that's the traffic alert, but the update for the traffic crash westbound 24. three vehicles involved. that does slow you heading out to the caldecott tunnel, orinda, the oakland area. the rest of the bay shows a smooth, easy drive. no more problems for san jose north 101. that crash cleared at mckey. a spot of slowing up to santa

clara. i'm double-checking to make sure nothing big is going on. 680 where is says fremont at vargas. back to you. >> thanks, mike. happening now a stanford alum and two russian cosmonauts are now at their new home aboard the international space stakes station. the docki ining happened after launched late last night. nasa astronauts and stanford alum kate rubin will do research in earth, science, biology and dna sequencing. coming up next a quick look at our top stories for this wednesday morning including two bay area counties easing restrictions for businesses today. details on some facebook ads. the reason the tech giant is beening ads discouraging people from getting vaccinated. you're watching "today in the bay."

the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system,

replacing it with one based on public safety. because the size of your wallet shouldn't determine whether or not you're in jail. vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail.

welcome back. here's a quick look at the top stories we're following for you this morning. in addition to the bay area's elevated fire danger. >> that's right. happening now a live look at the senate confirmation hearings which resumed in the last hour for supreme court barrett. senator grassley talking now. th actually the third day of hearings. senators asking more tough questions focusing on the

affordable care act, abortion rights and same sex marriage. democrats say they don't have the votes to stop her confirmation when the vote comes in about two weeks. santa clara and alameda county enter the orange tier of the covid monitoring system. bob redell is live in palo alto. big news for restaurant owners. >> reporter: starting today, kris, restaurants here in palo alto and around santa clara county can allow more people inside their establishments because, as you mentioned, santa clara county has moved into the orange tier of re opening during the covid-19 pandemic which means restaurants can now operate at 25% capacity. the state, however, is allowing 50% capacity. the santa clara county has decided against that. they are trying to be extra cautious to stop the spread of covid-19. in alameda county they, too, have also moved into the orange tier of reopening. you see this orange map.

that county won't make any major changes for another two weeks not until october 26th when indoor dining will reopen at 25% capacity or 100 people, which ever is fewer. the same for movie theaters and places of worship. indoor malls will be able to open at 50% capacity. again, that's october 26th. reporting live, bob redell, "today in the bay." thank you, bob. new research out of stanford concludes that america is nowhere close to herd immunity. the massive antibody testing study looked at blood samples from thousands of patients on dialysis across 46 states and finds slightly less than 10% of the u.s. has been infected. herd immunity likely happens when two-thirds of the population has antibodies. california now has more than 850,000 confirmed died of covid-19. facebook is cracking down on

anti-vaccination ads launching a new global policy banning ads discouraging people from getting vaccinated. the old policy only banned vaccine hoaxes publicly identified by organizations. the change is aimed at further reducing offensive or false content. new this morning the pandemic reportedly causing chaos at a decades old high school. san francisco's lowell high school. lowell is a magnet for academic elite, but this year "the chronicle" reports they are adjusting because the district was a pass/fail when we started distance learning and normal state testing didn't happen. they made a last-minute decision to use a lottery to bring in the next class. that prompted outrage from parents and alumni. they still plan to vote next week. it's 6:57. let's take a peek outside. all of our cameras overlooking the bay area on this wednesday morning. it's going to be another warm

one. we have a red flag warning in effect. the danger of those high winds. will could be some rolling power blackouts as well reducing the threat of any more fires. kari has a look at our forecast. yeah, we do have that combined with the hot temperatures for our inland valleys. we're talking about highs reaching into the mid-90s today. we'll see more weather like that over the next couple of days but our time frame of the red flag warning has already started and will continue until 11:00 friday morning during this time especially in our upper elevations we could see winds gusting over 50 miles an hour and in the valleys 30 miles an hour. we have to be careful the next few days. fires could spread rapidly. as we go into the end of the weekend, into early next week, finally some cooling. also this offshore wind we'll see our coastal areas heating up as well. make sure you're prepared to have those hot temperatures

especially in san francisco. how is it looking right now for the morning commute, mike? kari, the good news is there's nothing major in the south bay. i see slowing north 101 through santa clara. it's subtle just above the 280 sign. a little slowing south 880 through hayward. 24 where the arrow is that earlier crash is on the shoulder but three vehicles will distract you around fish ranch road, caldecott tunnel is fine. things are recovering down to berkeley. the bay bridge toll plaza, the backup is still there for all lanes. the toll plaza but they're moving appreciably better than 20 minutes ago. say the words improvement and bay bridge toll plaza together. commuters love that combination. >> no kidding. we love it and the combination of the team here, too. thanks for joining us. >> we leave you with a live look

of the supreme court nomination hearings of amy coney barrett. have a fantastic day. good morning, making her case amy coney barrett set to face another grilling on capitol hill after a marathon opening session. the judge deflecting questions on her specific views but assuring the country she does not have an agenda >> i certainly hope that all members of the committee have more confidence in my integrityw myself to be than to think that i would allow myself to be used as a pawn to decide this election for the american people. >> we're live from capitol hill. case. you damn well be amy coney barrett set to face another grilng