drier conditions today, but there will be some showers in the forecast for the weekend, as this storm system arrives, we'll see some of that rain moving in walnut creek, we're starting to see the sky clearing out. so we'll talk about what's ahead in the forecast, coming up. mike, how is it looking driving to work this morning? >> well, kari, clear skies and the roadways are getting a chance to dry out. look at the bay bridge toll plaza reflects that. as we see the roadway, the pavement is damp, but the breeze on the flags is also drying out a little bit on the roadway as well and the map shows you no delay getting there. all the flooding reports we had earlier for alameda and contra costa county have cleared. we're looking at the south bay, with some damp roadways as well, coming through the bare around 84, that construction crew clearing as they leave 680. back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. let's begin this hour with the impeachment trial. it is now the trump team's turn to defend the former president,

and show senators in america the president did not intend to incite violence at the capitol. we go to washington and "today in the bay's" susan maginnis. president trump's team had a rocky start, lots of eyes will certainly be on them today. >> yes, that's for sure, laura. good morning. the trump team lawyers have their chance to have the floor today on the senate, making the case for donald trump's exoneration after house managers had their shot, final arguments yesterday, where they tried to press home the idea to senators there acting as jurors that they must convict the former president donald trump of inciting that riot here at the capitol january 6th or else they say he could do it again. >> the evidence they have under no circumstances -- >> the legal team are laying out their case for exonerating the former president of inciting that insurrection at the u.s. capitol. >> january 6th was not some

unexpected radical break from his normal law-abiding and peaceful disposition. this was his state of mind. this was his essential m.o. >> i'm not afraid of donald trump running again in four years. i'm afraid he's going to run again and lose, because he can do this again. >> the donald trump defense team is arguing the former president has a right to free speech and also going to bring up times they say democrats had incendiary comments of their own. laura? >> always a busy time in washington, thank you, susan. in the meantime now, let's take you live to the white house, where the current president, joe biden, will meet with a group of u.s. mayors and governors to discuss new stimulus relief. the meeting comes on the heels of the announcement. president biden's administration secured another 200 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, enough for all

americans. >> we signed a final contract for 100 million more moderna, and 100 million more pfizer vaccines, and in further good news, both companies agree and now contract actually obligated to expand, to expedite delivery of 100 million doses that were promised by the end ojune to deliver them by the end of may. >> because both pfizer and moderna's authorized vaccines require two doses given three to four weeks apart a total of 600 million doses secured is enough to inoculate people. dr. anthony fauci predicts april vaccine. indoor church services are canceled in santa clara discount county again after a judge granted a temporary injunction.

a recent supreme court ruling opened the doors for indoor religious services across the nation, but in a district court, santa clara county argued the high court ruling should not apply because its ban on indoor gatherings is all-encompassing. district court judges plan to make a final decision on that issue in the coming days. at the start of this hour we wished everyone a happy lunar new year. this year's celebration is not only impacted by covid-19 but rising attacks against asian-american communities. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live to explain the much needed protection coming for the vulnerable communities, so many people are trying to highlight this and say it's wrong, which we can all agree with. all right, we're going to check cierra's mic and get back to her in a moment and tell you about a the coast guard, which says it will take some time to implement reforms recommended in the wake of that deadly 2019 southern california boat fire. you might remember that one.

ntsb made a slew of recommendations in december, when it wrapped up its probe into the fire that killed 34 people. the changes include improving safety systems and exit access and requiring overnight watches and then checking those watches. agency leaders say it may take years to enact those changes. federal drug agents are talking about one of the largest drug busts ever in northern california. 44 people have been arrested in the nearly two-year drug trafficking investigation. most of the suspects centered on the peninsula and in the south bay, and tied to a mexican drug cartel. agents say they confiscated more than half a ton of methamphetamine, numerous pounds of other drugs and dozens of guns. 6:05. a lucky few owner of cameras getting ready to snap pictures of one of california's most beautiful natural occurrences.

people lucky enough to book a reservation will descend on to yosemite to capture the elusive firefall. the pandemic of course limiting how many people could go. viewing is expected to end february 25th but it's pretty magnificent. authorities in ft. worth, texas, say they hope they never see another accident like this one. sadly, killing six people injuring dozens of others. the scene of yesterday's chain reaction pile-up still active as crews work to untangle that wreckage. more than 100 vehicles were involved, icy roads are said to have played a huge role. i remember that being a big problem in the central valley with solve the dense fog they get in the area. icy roads up in the tahoe area as well, got to be careful. take those chains if you're headed up 80. >> absolutely. take a look at how cold it is for a big chunk of the country. look at bismarck right now, 21 degrees below zero is the current temperature, and the high will be 5 below.

they are just really dealing with a stretch of some very uncomfortable weather, to say the least, and we're seeing this for much of the eastern half of the country. so they're tired of all tha milder weather for today, and we're starting out with some mostly cloudy skies, but we'll see some peeks of sunshine today. we cannot complain about this. kris? >> no complaints here. thank you, kari. we want to get back to cierra johnson in san francisco tracking the action to keep people safe from attacks on asian-americans. good morning, cierra. >> reporter: good morning, kris. just to give you an idea of how prevalent these attacks on asian-americans is, since the start of the pandemic in march, there have been 2,800 reported attacks on asian-americans throughout the country but 700 of those have come right here in the bay area, and we've been broadcasting them, shown some of the surveillance cameras and

they are just downright disturbing. so despite the fact that san francisco chinese new year parade and the flower festival not taking place this year, business owners are still relying on locals for support and to help some of those elders of vulnerable populations of faith, community organizer will lex is leading a patrol effort and handing out whistles in oakland and san francisco. san francisco police said they were stepping up patrol in chinatown and some other hot spots but community members are really hoping those behind the crimes are held responsible. "usa today" reporting nypd created an asian hate crimes task force to give you an idea how widespread this is. >> it happens everywhere, not just china, everywhere. everywhere in san francisco, every district. and i think the law is kind of too loose. we need to tighten it up a little bit.

>> reporter: as folks across the bay area prepare to welcome the year of the ox, they are also hoping for a calmer year and for the violence in the community to stop. we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> we can all get behind that. thank you. coming up next, one of the bay area's largest and busiest malls and it soon could be up for sale. coming up, new signs the pandemic is hitting especially hard on retailers. and the founder of a dating app matches up with billions after her company goes public. take a look at futures, it looks as if we're going to see a little bit of a pullback this morning. are you ready for valentine's day? if not don't worry. last-minute flower arrangements for you and time to take a trip to the flower mart, coming up in a bit.

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right now at 6:12, a lot of people will be heading to the sierra this weekend and we do have some very dangerous road conditions right now, bring those tire chains but the weather will be improving today but we are getting ready for some more snow tomorrow in spots like squaw valley. as we go into the weekend, off and on snow and off and on rain for the bay area. we'll talk about that in the forecast, coming up.

good morning, happy friday and happy new year as well. the justice department has subpoenaed robinhood looking into the whole gamestop issue. robinhood isn't necessarily in trouble. the feds want the blue sheets, the records of who bought and sold the stock looking for evidence of coordinated schemes. that news reported by the "wall street journal. fascinating news coming out of great britain. we knew the economy was bad there, partially their own fault with brexit but mostly due to coronavirus. new estimates say the economic pullback is the worst in more than 300 years, since 1709, so before the american revolution, benjamin franklin was 3-year-old at the time. george washington hadn't been born yet. now, you've heard me say a thousand times stock market is not the economy. the economy is not the stock market, but our stock market is at record highs again. the s&p 500 hitting the ninth record so far this year, and we're only 43 days in. shares of bumble took off after

that stock hit the market, up about 60%. that makes its founder, whitney wolfe herd, the youngest woman to take a company public and the youngest billionaire. she used to work at tinder, came up with the word tinder. we talked about how interest rates are continuing to fall and that's mostley been a discussion about how people are refinancing their home mortgages, saving quite a bit of money, but i was talking with a finance guy the other day who points out don't forget your car. new cars these days sell for sometimes zero percent apr but if you bought yours before the pandemic, you may be paying too high a rate. obviously you can't get your bank to refinance to zero, butu can do. >> people think about refinancing their mortgages when rates drop. people think about refinancing their credit card debt via personal loans or unsecured loans or other things but people don't think automatically about refinancing their vehicles, and yet it's a very viable thing to do and substantial savings and ubiquitous commonly held asset

and people should think more about doing it. a different kind of sale at one of san jose's most popular mall. "the mercury news" reports the big time retailers continue to open at valley fair mall and big time ones if you've been there at all recently. marcus washington joins us now, if there was any weekend to stop and smell the days away, and that means busy flower shots. >> marcus, busy days ahead for folks looking for love. >> absolutely. looking for love, trying to hold onto love. it is that time of year. getting ready and getting started for the weekend, really starts at a florist for a lot of

people. so is the annual trip to the san francisco flower market. this is the wholesale flowers open for suppliers that will go out and getho t special signs of love, that's what we call the flowers. like years in the past, it has been busy and like last year, especially during mother's day, it's been tough because of the pandemic. while the pandemic preventing a lot of events from happening which you'd normally see the flowers, this is the one time of year that big for any business supplying flowers. >> we've all been affected, but the great news about this industry is that we get to work and play with flowers and the way i see it, i'm blessed to be able to bring people joy. >> that joy is what many people are hoping they bring for their valentine and willing to pay for it. people are expected to spend $21 billion on valentine's day on average men double the spending of women shelling out $231. gifts this year.

53 couples renewing their vows happening on the "today" show this morning. beautiful there and guess what? included in this mix of love couples a san jose couple. we have a picture here for you and from all of us here at "today in the bay," congratulations to you. kari, we've got to talk about it, valentine's day, a lot of people going out to dinner, going to be outside. is the weather going to work out for us this year? >> yes, we were just thinking of just having a date night on the back patio, just ordering some food and takeout and just getting away from the kids for a little while and having a nice dinner in thebackyard. >> good luck with that. >> whatever you're planning to do this weekend, it's going to be nice. we're going to see some rain moving through, and we're starting out dry this morning, with a chance to dry out for today. nice long walk in the park, our forecast in concord today will be in the upper 40s this morning, but we'll see a little bit more sunshine as we go into

today with highs reaching into the upper 50s and low 60s. around the bay area, we're reaching near 60 degrees for today, which is about normal for this time of year and also going to get ready for some showers and we need a lot more of that rain to catch up to normal. we're only looking at a little bit here. as we go through the time line, we'll start to see some of that rain moving through early tomorrow morning, stopping it right here at 8:00, with some of the showers moving through the peninsula, the east bay, down to the south bay and then for the rest of the day getting a chance to get some peeks of sunshine, looks like it will continue to clear up for saturday afternoon, and sunday is also looking dry, with our next round of rain set to arrive on monday morning, as you are getting ready to head back to work. not a lot here, what we see tomorrow will be quick moving and mostly throughout the morning, up to about 0.1 inch of rain and as we check out the rest of the forecast, it does start to warm up a little bit next week.

we'll get some much needed sunshine on tuesday and wednesday, with another chance of showers in the forecast on thursday, so we will stay in an active weather pattern at least for the next week. mike, headed out the door for work this morning, we're also getting some good weather conditions, hopefully it stays friday light. >> we're keeping the active traffic pattern which means speeds are looking good. as we look at the map, i want to talk about things that are going on over here around the bay. damp roadways but not really wet, just keep that in mind. a little slowing in san jose. a little bit for 84 and coming out of the altamont pass very light traffic. contra costa county southbound 680 speeds actually recovered over the last five minutes. a crash was in the middle lanes, south 680 at 24, just pass ignatio valley road. the sensors revealed the green. i think they've just cleared that. i'll check that helded down toward the walnut creek interchange. an easy drive toward the maze and the bay bridge toll plaza. the live look shows you a little more traffic especially coming

off the 880 overcrossing. there is some wind there and you can see the reflection or the refraction. reflection, yes, off the roadways, a little damp pavement. back to you. >> all right, thanks so much, mike and kari. coming up, something you don't want to miss. why an angry mother just took down this man. >> ooh. >> don't mess with mom. >> no, don't. also ahead, "nbc bay area responds." >> bad guys get paid and legitimate workers don't. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we have a possible solution for california's unemployment fiasco, next.

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a lot of viewers complain to us about an upside-down situation at the state's unemployment department. legitimate workers aren't getting paid benefits but a lot of thieves are. >> a key part of that problem is how people get paid, by debit card. consumer investigator chris chmura says there is a big change coming. >> good morning. the central issue here is this. california doesn't do direct deposit of unemployment benefits. you can either get a debit card or a paper check. state recommends the debit card. but recently crooks exploited a huge weakness there. they gamed the system, got stacks of debit cards and other people's names, then took the state for billions of dollars, all the while real people who

were out of work got caught up in red tape. now state lawmakers are eyeing a solution, giving you the option of direct deposit. >> i think people are fed up and it's time to give our constituents the same thing the majority of americans have. >> tonight at 11:00, we're digging deep near this and how state law could change. we'll share what we found when we checked all 50 states for comparison. plus what the bank with the exclusive state contract has to say about moving away from debit card. if you're having unemployment problems, let us know. go to nbcbayarea.com then click the "responds" option from the main menu. i'll join you again tonight at 11:00. >> sound good, thanks, chris. possible new developments in a nearly 25-year-old cold case in southern california. authorities have arrested a man investigated in the disappearance of kristen smart. this week they searched his home and took him into custody on a weapons charge. the person of interest is

identified as paul flores. kristen smart was a college student who disappeared in 1996. flores is a former classmate who witnesses in the past said was the last person seen with smart. right now he's not being charged in her disappearance. don't mess with texas and don't mess with texas moms. that woman strange into action taking down a man accused of peeping into her teenage daughter's window. it happened last month when phyllis pena spotted 19-year-old peeking into her 15-year-old daughter's room. pena says she called police but when officers were arriving, the man ran. pena jumped, tackled that young man, held arrested him. laura, mama bear knows no bounds. >> oh, yeah, no matter how big or small. watch out. all right, it's 6:25 right now. just ahead we'll go back to our top stories. cvs and walgreens rolling out

covid vaccine shots across the bay area today. up next, what are your chances for getting a shot in we'll tell you all about it. plus remember a u.s. space force? up next, it is forming right here in the bay area, starting today. you're watching "today in the bay." want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network. sure thing! and with fast nationwide 5g included at no extra cost. we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction.

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. good morning. we're watching it al scott mcgrew's report is coming up in this half hour. good friday morning to you. it's happy lunar new year as well. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> evennd i'm kris sanchez. the forecast is usually critical for lunar new year's celebrations. no parade and no flower festivals i guess it still matters. >> we have a lot of people celebrating anyway even if it's just at home. rain is clearing out and also some more scattered showers moving in, but at least we are all dry this morning. take a look at this view, as we look toward mt.e clouds are lin morning but it will continue to clear out today. we'll talk about what's ahead in the weekend forecast as the next storm system comes in, coming up in a few minutes. mike, what is going on for the

morning commute? >> look at the san mateo bridge as we have a live look -- excuse me, sorry, a little hoarse this morning but no problems on the span. the map scholes you a smooth drive as we get out there. look at the maps and with the little bit of slowing on the bay bridge. i'll show you the toll plaza coming up. it's not that bad. >> you rest that throat up there, mike. thanks so much. 6:30. a live look at capitol hill, where in just a matter of hours, former president donald trump's defense team will take the senate floor in his impeachment trial. his attorneys have up to 16 hours over two days to present his defense. his lawyers plan to use one day. the abbreviated arguments may possibly set up a vote to convict or acquit as early as this weekend. house impeachment managers wrapped up their arguments yesterday. the cdc is expected to release new guidance any moment on how to reopen schools safely. governor newsom also expected to talk about school reopenings

soon. "today in the bay's" sharon katsuda is watching it for us. lots of parents, teachers waiting for this. we want to see kids going back to school but want them to go back safely. >> reporter: that's right, kris. it's been a really tough issue. now some smaller school districts and private schools have been able to do that with hybrid schedules, but for the larger districts, it's definitely been tougher. even without the vaccine, some private schools and smaller districts since last fall have managed to work with the teachers to maintain safe cohorts and allow grade levels such as elementary school to reopen for in-person learning. for the larger school districts, los angeles and some in the bay area, it's been a struggle. many teacher unions say they want to see vaccinations available to all teachers and staff before they head back to campus with students for in-person learning. now the cdc under the biden administration is expected today to release new guidelines how schools can reopen with or without covid vaccines available to them. >> people are impatient, understand why people are

impatient. a lot of parents in this building, they, too are impatient but the cdc is thorough and the cdc i think is going to hopefully provide some good guidance so the schools can start to open. >> governor newsom has already expressed he wants to see schools reopen by the end of this month or this spring, but vaccinations seem to be a main sticking point right now. governor newsom is also expected to later address the cdc guidelines, and how that will impact the schools in california. reporting live from fremont, i'm sharon katsuda, "today in the bay." >> we'll keep tracking that. thank you, sharon. also today, you can now get a covid vaccine at your local cvs if you qualify and if they have them. cvs is partnering with the federal government to administer those vaccines for free. you have to be 65 years or older or a health care worker. here are the locations. more than a dozen in the bay area, you can see they're spread out around the bay. you have to have an appointment.

there are available slots in southern california, central california but here in the bay area, we are booked. as soon as more doses arife, which is expected to be in the next few weeks more appointments will open up. there is a lot to keep track of, a lot of information changing. nbc is launching an initiative called plan your vaccine, like plan your vote, remember we did that? this is simple, one-stop everything you need to know, personalized state-by-state tool that will show you the distribution in your state, who is eligible now, who is next in line, and there's even an interactive map that can show you by zip code where the closest vaccine site is to you, and you can help relatives in other states, that way as well. planyourvaccine.com is the site to visit and also up in spanish and in mandarin. the national hockey league and san jose sharks have a new dimension in this covid safety protocols. sharks last night didn't look so hot on the ice in los angeles.

they lost 6-2 to the kings and play their first home game of the year tomorrow against vegas. yesterday the league debuted a new rapid testing program. tests will provide results in an hour. the league is tightening stay-at-home protocols and further limiting gatherings among players. the giants are set to begin the giants are having a limited number of fans in their home stadium. scottsdale ticket holders have a first priority. a fun tradition. space force is getting under way and it is happening this morning at travis air force base in fairfield. "today in the bay's" thom jensen is there. thom, the u.s. space force is being created, finally happening.

>> reporter: good morning, ten airmen will be sworn in as the newest guardians in space force. one ever several swearing in ceremonies likely to take place at the base over the coming year as space force continues to take shape. yesterday 17 airmen were transferred into space force during a swearing in ceremony. the department of defense has been transferring 2,400 airmen from the air force into space force. another 1,200 today for a total of 3,600. slick videos trying to recruit personnel as they try to put together a total space force of

about 16,000 guardians. >> now is the time for military branch with a clear and singular focus on its base, a military branch that protects the hopes and dreams of america and our way of life. >> reporter: space force became the sixth branch of the u.s. military when it gained overwhelming bipartisan approval in congress during the trump administration. general john j. raymond took his seat with joint chiefs in december and the ten airmen becoming guardians today under his command here at travis air force base. we're live at travis air force base in fairfield, thom jensen, "today in the bay." >> exciting day for them, getting sworn in. thanks so much, thom. libraries are helping bridge the digital divide in contra costa county. they can connect laptops,

tablets to the internet, each hot spot can connect ten devices at one. anyone with a library card can check it out and u once again. >> laura, she is the first person to die of covid-19 here in the united states. >> she's so tiny, but she had such a big voice, and she didn't care what anyone thought, she would just speak her mind. >> for the first time, hearing from the south bay woman's family still grieving and still in disbelief, one year later, the confusion they faced in the early days of the pandemic and their message of hope to others. first, today we conclude the black history month series shining spotlight on a director, producer, screen writer. ryan coogler was born in oakland and raised in richmond.

his first featured film "fruitvale station" was the killing of oscar grant. the topic continues to generate headlines even in 2021. he also directed the history-making "black panther" and signed on to do the sequel. in 2018, he was runner-up for "time's" person of the year and also the co-founder of black out for human rights, an organize that serves and brings attention to human rights violations across the united states. also a fellow alum of st. mary's college. as laura has taught me, go gales.

good friday morning. let's check out our high temperatures today. it's going to be cloudy, some peeks of sunshine, and reaching up to 59 degrees in san jose, and 60 in santa rosa. going into the weekend, another round of some spotty rain. i'll have the details in the forecast, coming up. today donald trump's lawyers get their turn to present their opening arguments. >> scott mcgrew, they have just as much time as the other side but not expected to take that. >> no, they probably won't. the prosecution certainly took a lot of time showing the senators and indeed the american public a lot of evidence. the defense we expect will show very little, instead rely on the argument that donald trump was simply speaking his mind, but didn't incite violence. here's one of his attorneys. >> tremendous hypocrisy, you might look at what some of them have said. tremendous hypocrisy here.

it's a double standard. all the way. if donald trump says something, it means this and they decide what it means, and somebody else says something, perfectly innocuous. >> so you'll see that today donald trump just said things other people said but of course donald trump was the president of the united states, the bully pulpit. that, house managers argue, makes what he says and does far more serious. >> senators of america, we need to exercise our common sense about what happened. let's not get caught up in a lot of outlandish lawyers theories here. exercise your common sense about what just took place in our country. >> yesterday house impeachment managers reminded senators that trump kept bashing vice president mike pence even after rioters had stormed the capitol. trump may not have known they were chanting "hang mike pence"

but he was watching as the vice house chamber, and then 11 minutes after this tweeted, "mike pence didn't have the courage to do what needed to be done." finding trump guilty would prevent him from running for office again and while it will be extremely unlikely he'd win an election, he was the most unpopular president since people started measuring opinion polls, house managers point out he doesn't have to win to create chaos. >> you know, i'm not afraid of donald trump running again in four years. i'm afraid he's going to run again and lose, because he can do this again. >> trump's closest ally, lindsey graham met with trump's attorneys yesterday along with ted cruz and mike lee. they're all jurors and as graham indicated he will vote not guilty. before trump's first impeachment graham said i'm not even going to be pretend to be an impartial juror.

we're looking at talking about, examining the second impeachment online. you can follow me there, chat t. 6:43. this next story is sadly about loss and pain that's still palable. just over a year ago san jose's patricia dowd died of covid-19. she was actually the first confirmed coronavirus death in the united states. >> a lot of us were figuring out what is coronavirus anyway and today her daughter is still asking so many questions. "today in the bay's" marcus washington, more on how the family is dealing with that loss. i can't imagine, marcus. >> yes, but we know it's been tough for that family, and for the first time, patricia's daughter is speaking out about the toll her mother's death took on her as well as what the pandemic has done to their entire family. our own ian cull sat down with her daughter as well as patricia's sister to talk about all of this. it was socially distant and in a

room that was ventilated. they called her trish and she started feeling ill the day before last year's super bowl. days later, february 6th while working at home alone she collapsed and died. the coroner said it was a heart attack but they asked for an autopsy. stunned that what could have taken this 57-year-old woman they described as fit, healthy and fiery. after tests in mid-april, the of covid-19 complications.she w first person. i was like, i don't think she was. i think someone had it before her, like this can't be happening to my family. >> the family still doesn't know how she got it. in january of this year, then president-elect biden laid out his plan to fight the pandemic in the first minutes, he spoke about patricia. take a listen. >> on february the 6th in 2020,

patricia dowd took her last breath at home under the california sun. >> the second i heard him say her name, i just burst into tears. it's just -- it was just amazing that he took the time to even like say her name. >> just imagine what she was feeling then. now on the anniversary of pa trish's death, friends and family held a small socially distant ceremony at santa cruz beach to reflect on her life and legacy. >> thanks so much, marcus. 6:46 right now. in honor of black history month, southern california residents prince harry and meghan markle recently dropped by a virtual youth poetry class to pay

tribute, quite a zoom bombing. get lit words ignite zoom class, that's the name of it. the members frequently focus on minority issues as part of their inspiration for their poetry and performances. their appearance left a big impression on those in attendance. >> just talking and connecting to someone who appreciates the power of poetry. >> we are all humans, chilling here on this zoom call, nerding out about poetry. >> it's so cute. the little gal covering her mouth. screen shot of the couple's appearance is going viral on social media. good to see him doing something nice and focusing on issues that matter. good to see the rain that we had yesterday. so nice that it cleared out for today. maybe some new snow in themike, clear at least for the kari? >> yes, it's going to be a little bit of everything, and we are seeing one storm system moving out, another one approaching, as we look at this

wide view. it looks like a lot of clouds, but this will not be a strong storm, as it moves into the bay area. taking a look at what the last system brought us, and some of the highest rainfall totals of course for our higher elevations, especially near the coastline with mt. tam measures 1.75 inches. hayward and san francisco getting over a half inch of rain. san jose getting lower amounts but it was good to see even 0.1 of an inch of rain. today as we're home schooling and this being the last day before the winter break as well as valentine's day celebrations, they may be having a little bit more fun and even with home schooling but getting out in the backyard we'll see a mix of sun and clouds in morgan hill, temperatures headed into the mid to upper 50s, and next week, we know a lot of people will be heading to the sierra this weekend to enjoy the long week off, and we'll see some light snow showers coming back in tomorrow. make sure you take the tire chains because we will have some

snow and at times some really dangerous road conditions. looking at how much snow we could see throughout the weekend, not a lot. just a few more inches in some spots up to about seven inches of snow and then going into next week, with the next storm system in total, we're looking at another foot to possibly close to two feet in total over the next week. meanwhile, here in the bay area, we're going to see a quick pass of some scattered showers, mostly tomorrow morning, through about 8:00 to 9:00, we're seeing the rain moving from the north bay into the south bay, but look at the rest of the day. it's clearing out, and we will have some nice weather for those outdoor plans, not only for saturday afternoon but sunday as well, and then our next round of rain comes in early next week. we're watching all of that, mike, what are you watching for the morning commute? >> kari, you mentioned chains, if you're headed to the sierra, where you do need chains,

practice locally if you haven't before. bay bridge toll plaza no backup, mild slowing on the incline, the roads drying out. the map shows you mild slowing for the incline, no problem on the east shore freeway getting over there. the rest of the bay pretty much green sensors. there was a little slowing where i circled the disabled vehicle at holly from north 101, but that slowing cleared from the sensors and a live look through palo alto shows you how light that traffic is going away from us in the top of the screen, that's why it was able to recover quickly as they moved that vehicle to the shoulder. >> very good advice and practice before you go. it is harder than it looks. a china mars probe reached the red planet and ending back footage for the first time. video released by state media shows the solar array as mars slides into view. that's just amazing. inner planetary expedition is expected to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life. coming up next, a quick look

at our top stories, the start of the lunar new year. after recent attacks in the asian community some safety concerns are surrounding celebrations. the tactics one bay area city is taking to make sure people feel safe. you're watching "today in the bay".

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welcome back. a quick look at the top stories we're following for you this

friday morning. >> it the year of the ox, the lunar new year and asian-american communities "today in the bay's" cierra johnson live in san francisco to explain. good morning, cierra. >> reporter: they're on edge because of a string of brazen attacks, just to give you an idea how prevalent the attacks are, since the start of the pandemic in march, 2,800 reports of crimes against asian-americans. 700 of those have taken place right here in the bay area. we've shown you that surveillance video, those attacks are violent and often happening in broad daylight. despite the fact that san francisco's chinese new year parade and flower festival are not taking places business owners are relying on locals for safety and community organizer will lex is leading a patrol effort and handing out whistles in oakland and san francisco. san francisco police said they are also stepping up patrol in chinatown and some of the hot spots. the crimes against

asian-americans have also sparked new patrol methods in some major cities. "usa today" is reporting that nypd has even created an asian hate crimes task force. community members here are hoping those behind the crimes locally are held responsible. >> it happens everywhere, not just china, everywhere in san francisco, every district, and i think the law is kind of too loose. we need to tighten them uhm a little bit. >> reporter: with such a big weekend ahead and so many folks welcoming the year of the ox, a lot of folks are being aware of their surroundings and hoping the violence against the older asian-americans finally stop. we are live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> really need to, thanks, cierra. hopefully today some answers fo the cdc is expected to roll out new guidance for kids returning to the classroom. this comes as many californians

are wondering if a new announcement for school reopen ings may be announced today. the previous school reopening plan was essentially dead on arrival in sacramento. indoor church services canceled in santa clara county. this after a judge granted a temporary injunction. it comes after the u.s. supreme court ruled last friday california's ban and indoor religious services violated the constitution. in a district court, santa clara county argued the high court ruling should not apply because its ban on indoor gatherings is all-encompassing. district court judges plan to make a final decision on that issue in the coming days. new space force guardians making history in the bay area today. ten airmen at the travis air force base in fairfield are being sworn in as the newest members of the u.s. space force. 17 airmen at edwards air force

base transferred into space force in southern california yesterday. it's all part of a transfer that will eventually move about 3,600 personnel from air force command to space force command. today's ceremony starts about an hour from now at 8:00 a.m. meteorologist kari hall, your forecast was right on target, i knew when the rain was coming and still left the rid of the trash can open but trying to be positive today to say the can is half full. >> i got my plants out there, they were able to soak up all of that rain and now we put them back out there for the sunshine. we are going to see some, a little bit of a mix of sun and clouds and more rain coming in tomorrow and if you're planning to travel to the sierra this weekend, make sure that you are going to bring the look at i-80 in kingvale. the travel is slow the layer you wait in the day. try to get out there early. make sure you practice with

those tire chains before you go. they're starting to clear things up. how is it looking for travel elsewhere across the bay area? >> much less snow? the bay area. i'm showing the airport, if you're leaving the airport and trying to use b.a.r.t. or have friends planning to use b.a.r.t. there's a 20-minute delay sfo in the antioch direction but we'll keep track there seems to be an equipment problem on the train. no problems for sfo itself. another live look outside, the bay bridge toll plaza and we've been tracking what you see on the pavement, the sheen. no more flooding reported but damp roadways. you see bigger puddles not quite so even. keep that in mind at the off-ramps, we tend to see spinouts as folks relax. the rain is gone and the sky starts what brighten up but might be issues for traction and slowing. use caution as you hit the brakes and the wind shows up on the flags but no major problems. just a light delay headed up the

incline. i-80 as kari said, is reopened. it was closed overnight headed toward the sierra but there is a chain requirement, they're screening and as kari and kris and i say and laura, you know, you got to practice if you've never used them before. >> that is the worst game of cats cradle ever, trying to do it cold. >> yes. no, i get somebody big and beefy to help me out. speaking of where's the beef, remember yesterday, we did a story on mcdonald's having these happy meals because they've got the pokemon cards in it? >> yes. >> how excited people are getting and they're selling out? well, i did cave. my son yesterday heard about it, my 11-year-old son and while i'm not a fast food eater at all, i was a good mom and took him and he was so excited. >> did you buy a big mac, laura? >> no, that's a big joke in the newsroom. i've never had a big mac or quarter pounder in my life and i'm going to keep that record going.

>> that is pretty impressive pretty impressive, but you know, did he get the pokemon that he wanted? >> he did. he did. >> we're going to be rich! >> that's his treat for today. thanks so much for joining us. have a great weekend as we leave you with a live look outdoors. good morning for the defense. good morning for the defense. lawyers for former president trump begin their arguments today, after democrats close their case with disturbing, new video, and chilling accounts from inside the mob, tying the president directly to the siege. >> president trump requested that we be in d.c. on the 6th. so this was our way of going and stopping the steal. >> democrats argue if left unpunished, it'll happen again. >> if you don't find this a high