means new york would now be in the orange tier like san mateo county. soon, new yorkers will be able to do a dinner and a show. some off-broadway musicals will take the stage again next month, including "the office" the musical parody. it will be capped at 33%, but it's nice to see some of the lights coming back on. >> right now at 6:00, heading to atlanta. president joe biden and vice president kamala harris will visit atlanta as they reel from the deadly shooting that left eight people dead. most of them asian americans. a live report next on how the president hopes to heal the nation. >> inching ever closer. as more schools bring students back, the cdc is expected to update guidance on classroom distancing, cutting the six-feet rule in half. what health experts and teachers are saying about it. >> spring also in the air. and maybe in your nose and eyes

as well. the pollen is everywhere out there. this morning, we're going to talk about how to tell if you're suffering from allergies or covid symptoms. worries a lot of people, but we'll talk about it as the third hour of today in the bay continues right now. >> in fact, i saw marcus dabbing his eyes earlier as well. >> i was just thinking that. when you read the last part, i was like, not again. >> well, exactly. that's where we are, everybody gets worried. good morning to you. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. let's talk about the allergies. first, we want to get to the forecast. meteorologist kari hall is here. certainly, the rain should help with the allergies if you have any right now, right? >> right. so some of the rain kind of washes a lot of the pollen that's just floating through the air, kind of brings it down to the ground for a little while. as we take a look at what's happening now on storm ranger, some still spotty light showers moving through parts of the north bay where the showers

continue in marin county as you get ready to head out the door. overall, the big pattern of the storm system is to move to the south and east and we'll have a chance to dry out today, even getting some sunshine by this afternoon. so we'll talk about what's ahead for the weekend and we'll take a look at that pollen count in a few minutes. >> looking forward to that. thank you. you know, the president and vice president headed to atlanta, amidst so many unanswered questions about why someone would gun down eight people in three different spas. most of the victims, asian american women. today in the bay's tracie potts is viz following the president's visit. he's going to reach out to asian american communities while he's in atlanta. >> right, marcus. the reason that he's there is to listen, the white house says, and also support and assure these communities leaders and lawmakers that the biden administration will fight against intolerance, against xenophobia, and against hate.

feeling attacked. atlanta's asian pacific community will tell president biden and vice president harris today that the killing of six asian women this weekends a year where many were already living in fear. >> it's an opportunity for us to hear first hand that hurt and that pain that we know the asian american community has been experiencing since the last guy left the white house. >> i'm not a virus, and when you say things like that, it hurts asian american communities. >> lawmakers thursday heard from asian american actors and colleagues. >> our community is bleeding. we are in pain, and for the last year, we have been screaming out for help. >> the president ordered flags flown at half staff through monday in honor of atlanta's victims. today, he meets with asian american leaders, legislators, and advocates. >> hear about the impact of the incident on the community and to get their perspective and get their community on the rise in

anti-asian hate sentiment. >> stop aapi hate reported nearly 4,000 last year in all 50 states. today, the president focuses on that and covid. he'll stop by atlanta's cdc headquarters for an update. >> 58 days into our administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow americans. >> more than 75 million people have now received at least one dose. but those cases are going up in some areas, in 13 states so far, because we have so many different versions now of the virus, and dr. anthony fauci says it could be fall when the teenagers start to get their vaccines before we have enough people inoculated against covid-19 to declare herd immunity. in other words, large widescale protection for almost everyone. marcus. >> a lot of people hoping we get there sooner rather than later.

thank you. and staying in washington. two immigration bills are progressing in congress. both just passed the house, and now headed to the senate. now, one creates a pathway to citizenship for both young undocumented dreamers and people with temporary protection status. california approximately has about 180,000 dreamers. the other bill would allow undocumented farm workers to apply for legal status and receive a green card. south bay congresswoman lofgren says those workers have helped maintain food supplies during the pandemic. >> one of the things that we have been fortunate for during this horrible pandemic is that our food supply was never disrupted. that's thanks to the farmers of america, but also the farm workers of america. most of whom are undocumented, and most of whom have been here more than ten years. >> senate republicans are already sounding off against the bill. scott mcgrew will have much more on that coming up later this

morning at 6:45. >> it's possible your child's classroom may soon become a little more crowded. the cdc's expected to allow students to be three feet apart instead of the current six. today in the bay's bob redell is live in dublin this morning. what are teachers saying about this? they're the ones in the classrooms with this kids. >> well, at least one major teachers union is not for this. the american federation of teachers tells "the new york times" it is staunchly opposed to the idea of changing the social distancing guidelines in schools from six to three feet over concerns of safety and logistics. the cdc is expected to announce that the three-foot rule would be in effect as early as today. that's according to cnn, as early as today they could make that announcement. why the change? the cdc is pointing to a new study published in clinical infectious diseases, and in that study, they compared infection rates of covid-19 in

massachusetts public schools with different physical distancing requirements. the research suggests that three feet may be as safe as six feet if everyone is masked. >> you know, i think that likely will happen. there was a good study in the state of massachusetts in which kids who were wearing masks, they looked at three feet versus six feet, and they really found no difference. so the cdc is analyzing that data very carefully right now. they very well may change. i don't want to get ahead of them, but they're very much on top of this and looking at that data so they will reconsider about that distance. >> the american federation of teachers unions tells "the new york times" a discussion of the three-foot rule for students is a debate about convenience, not a debate about safety, which is what they believe it should be. they question how schools will be able to adapt to the new rules, if that means more kids in the classrooms, for instance. what are the protocols going to

be for going to the bathroom or going up and down the stairs? reporting live here in dublin, bob redell, today in the bay. >> you can see both sides of it. thanks so much, bob. for more details now, sonoma county's largest school district has officially set their reopening date. the press democrat reports santa rosa schools have agreed on an april 1st return date for elementary school students. it will be a hybrid learning model. secondary students will return later next month. university of southern california, meantime, is now scheduling graduation ceremonies. distanced events will be held in play for both this year's and last year's classes. friends and family members, however, will not be able to attend. >> we have a follow-up for you in san francisco on a new legal challenge to the school board decision to rename dozens of schools. plaintiffs argue the board didn't adequately present its intentions before making the decision. board members took people by surprise back in january, voting to rename schools with namesakes

tied to controversial legacies, including abraham lincoln high school. district leaders have since acknowledged mistakes were made in the process. >> well, despite federal and state promises to deliver more vaccines, people in the bay area are still finding appointments suddenly canceled. here's what people saw when they showed up yesterday at a solano county clinic. a note on the door saying no vaccines, ran out. we spoke to one couple who drove more than 100 miles only to be caught by surprise. >> we just received a confirmation last night on our phones, so it's really surprising. >> now, county health leaders cited ongoing vaccine shortages but say they're doing the best they can, but it's still not clear why people were not alerted before. >> spring is arriving late tonight, and with it, allergies for millions of people. many people say that the allergies in fact are already here, and you know, we're in this pandemic. so the first sign of a little

runny nose or some sneezing, it makes people worried about the whole covid scare. north carolina department of health and human services actually tweeting out a breakdown to help people distinguish between the different systems -- symptoms, i should say, out there for you. actually had to go and get some allergy meds for my littlest one yesterday. she was scared, too. mom, am i okay? but everything is blossoming out there, kari. >> it is. and one thing that's kind of helping us out a little bit is the rain that moved through. and it brings that pollen down to through the air and kind of breaks it out, brings it out of the air and breaks it up. it's coming down for a lot of the tree pollen that we're seeing blooming right now from cedar to juniper. it's moderate on the pollen count and mold is low, but that may go up now that we have a fresh amount of rain. if you will be going out to the park today, expect it to be nice and sunny. still may be a little damp,

especially this morning in concord. temperatures in the low 50s to start, but heading tupe 60 degrees as the sun continues to shine today. we'll look at what's ahead for the weekend in a few minutes. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? >> kari, light over all, but more breaking news for the north bay. we'll take you out to the map. we have both directions of 580 which are slowing on side off the san rafael bridge where we may have a closure or at least affected by a crash and some debris. there's a car fire reported for one of the sides as well. both show slowing. i'm concerned about people getting off the bridge, jamming up before they get to highway one 01. traffic on the richmond side is easier. we're slow aglittle bit after the bay bridge plaza, and we have that slowing still recovering north 101, heading up into the south bay. santa clara and san jose. back to you. >> thanks, mike. this morning, turning up the noise on this friday.

first, you have to hear the roaring engines of nasa's latest rocket, set to take humans to the moon. coming up, where the mission stands this morning. from the moon to mars. we also have new sound of nasa perseverance rover rolling around on mars. we're going to tell you what it's in search of right now. plus -- >> back here on planet earth, the chinese and americans met for the first time since the biden administration started. and it went really terribly. we'll take a look at that meeting. let's take you out to the future. fed says that banks have to hold on to more money, just as much money as they did during the pandemic. that's got wall street disappointed. futures barely moving. you're watching today in the bay.

right now, 6:14. if you're heading to tahoe this weekend, take the tire chains. we're still seeing a mixture of rain and snow around squaw valley and alpine meadows for today. it does clear out this weekend, and we'll get some sunshine headed our way as our high temperatures head up to the low 40s by sunday. we'll talk about what the bay area can expect in the forecast coming up. >> well, good morning. very happy friday to you as well. representatives from china and the united states met for the first time since president biden took office. and it didn't go well at all.

this all happened in anchorage, alaska. the united states maintains china's trade practices are unfair and condemns china's actions against the uighur minority and democracy in hong kong. china accused the united states of demanding democratic reforms and respect for minorities that the united states was not doing at home. unfortunately, they don't show it in this little clip here, but it really, really fell apart when the two sides made statements to reporters that was supposed to last two minutes, but the two sides kept calling reporters back into the room to refute what the other guy had said. bottom line, from a trade point of view, anyway, wasn't really a very good start. >> the nfl has signed a major deal with tv networks, plus amazon, to televise games for the next ten years. three takeaways from this. one, the money is huge. $100 billion. that erases the losses the nfl experienced the past season because of the pandemic. two, they're going to add a

week, so 17 total, more games. three, the streaming part on amazon. amazon will have exclusive rights to thursday night games. google's ceo announced yesterday google will hire 10,000 new workers nationwide, expand into states they have never been, and build billions of dollars in offices at a time most tech companies are getting rid of office space as fast as they can. now, the announcement is not happening in a vacuum. as you know, google is facing aczazs from a variety of states about a variety of things including antitrust. but a quick look at the headlines from around the states finds google got its message out. it's going to spend a lot of money, hire a lot of people in a lot of states. here's a clip from a report from our nbc affiliate in durham, north carolina. >> this is an exciting day in north carolina. >> elected officials sharing in the excitement that more than 1,000 jobs from one of the biggest names in tech will be

right here in durham. >> marcus and laura, defense contractors do this, too, the f-35 fighter all over the states. i know, marxs, you said before the break, you're going to talk about the sls booster, the big rocket. the engines are made in california, there are parts in alabama, and they test in mississippi. the contractors know what they're doing. >> you gave it away because here we go, let's fly to the moon this morning. yesterday, nasa successfully completed a rocket fire test. it's the most powerful of engines. scott was just talking about those. those engines roared for eight minutes straight. >> and it's too early for surround sound, right, but you can actually feel the power there. you can see how strong they were. that test in mississippi, it went well. so nasa will now move the rockets to cape canaveral for a test flight around the moon

later this year. that test will be unmanned. the trip with astronauts may happen before the end of next year. >> well, from the moon to mars. nasa's recently landed perseverance rover now delivering some new sounds from the red planet. take a listen. nasa scientists, they are actually overjoyed to hear the bangs and rattles of the robot's six wheels on the surface of mars. making a play list, in fact, of the recording. the rover landed last month. nasa now searching for the best spot to launch ingenuity's first flight. >> pretty cool. since we're all about sounds this morning, you have one more for us. >> that's right. we're taking you back to the '80s this morning. remember this one? ♪ i just want to tell you how i'm feeling ♪

♪ got to make you understand never gonna give you up ♪ ♪ never gonna let you down ♪ ♪ never gonna run around and desert you ♪ ♪ never gonna make you cry never gonna say good-bye ♪ ♪ never gonna tell a lie and hurt you ♪ >> oh, my gosh. you got to love the '80s. never gonna give you up by rick astley was the number one song on this day in 1988. on billboard's top 100. so that's why we're honoring it. getting your friday started out right. never gonna give you up. >> you know, you guys just rick rolled us. my daughter, she's 12, she sent me this video, said breaking news. i click on it, it's that song. there you go. >> little does she know her dad lived through it. >> yeah. i have. i have that hair. >> so much fun.

>> i got a scrunchy somewhere. >> you might need it, too, if you're going outside because the rain is coming down in some parts, but not going to be around for long, kari. >> right. so the rain is moving on out, may still be misting this morning. yeah, a good call with the scrunchy this morning. let's get a look at storm ranger right now, where we're seeing some of the showers moving through, still in the north bay. as we get a closer look at marin county, where we have seen the showers from right around homestead valley to san rafael and as well as novato. right there along 101, it's making for a soggy morning commute. we have seen some of these showers still lingering today, as the storm system starts to move away, some of the heavier rain now across parts of the central coast and still bringing some snow to the sierra. but believe it or not, this storm system brought over 2 inches of rain for mt. tam. and for the santa cruz mountains, it was close to an inch and a half there. other areas had about three quarters of everyone of rain in

richmond. in dublin, measuring about .3 inch rain. almost a quarter inch in san jose. as this system comes out and we're now making plans for the weekend, but it's still churning up big waves along the coastline so there's a dangerous surf, a beach hazard statement in effect along the coastline all day today, so you never want to turn your back to the water, as our temperatures today stay in the low to mid 50s in pacifica. we'll see a lot more sunshine for today with our inland areas reaching into the low 60s for a high today. now, we are going to continue to warm up as we see high pressure moving in, storm systems staying to the north of us, so we will be dry. over the next several days, you can see that at the bottom of the screen, that our temperatures will be heading into the 70s for next week, as we are going to bring in spring with some more spring-like weather, we'll feel that by next wednesday and thursday. mike, how's it looking right now for the morning commute? >> kari, more breaking news.

positive spin here as we look toward the north bay. with problem getting across the richmond san rafael bridge. still slow westbound, toward san rafael, but we have a lane open now. all were closed for a short period of time. that crash, no magener juries reported but there may be a truck fire in the area. bay bridge toll plaza, no major backups. the golden gate bridge has been flowing southbound, there's fog, so that's the note. the rest of the bay as we get back out to the map, the big view shows you pretty much green. even recovering after the crash on the expressway. >> next on today in the bay, nbc bay area responds.

good morning. our team has had quite the successful run lately, speaking up for folks like you. let's start at telemundo 48's respond day. investigator arlen fez helped maria in san jose. she paid $2300 for a new couch that arrived damage. the store offered her a replacement, but it wouldn't arrive for a month. maria wanted a refund instead, but the store said no. until arlen started asking questions. it then gave maria her full $2300 back. at nbc bay area responds, we shared a story about jake and sandeep who were unable to withdraw their money from the robinhood investing app. after weeks of stalemate, we helped restore their access to

$36,000 between them. well, then on tuesday, we heard from cheyenne, who had $48,000 stuck in robinhood. we sent one email, next thing you know, cheyenne could withdraw the full $48,000. we asked robinhood what is going on. a rep only told us we generally do not share details of customers' accounts. >> if you have a problem you can't solve, let us know. have a great weekend. >> you, too, chris. up next, a family of an elderly asian woman attacked this week in san francisco speak out on how she's doing. >> plus, more movie theaters are raising the curtain today, including one of the largest chains in the nation. up next, where you can catch a flick right here in the bay area. you're watching today in the bay, 6:27.

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explore floor and decor's newest area location. now open in pleasant hill! right now at 6:30, let's open the windows. get fresh air going as we're experiencing clearing skies finally ahead. rain moving out of the bay area, and spring just around the corner. quite literally. today in the bay continues right now. >> oh, did i also forget to mention it's friday morning? thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. i can't wait until spring has sprung. and it's coming up. kari hall has a look at forecast, and spring coming very soon. >> yes, so today is the last day

of winter. and we're also still seeing some of those lingering winter showers that have been moving through the north bay right now. but overall, the storm system is exiting the bay area. we will have a chance to enjoy some sunshine this weekend after getting some much needed rain. so we'll talk more about what's ahead for this weekend as you make some plans. that's coming up in a few minutes. mike, you have been watching the roads. anything that's popping up that people should know about? >> yeah, we are breaking news for the north bay. this is a problem. listen up, if you look at the map, driving over the richmond bridge, from richmond to san rafael, your commute direction will slow, before you get off the bridge, we have a crash that starts up because of the crash just before 101, that's a slow drive. we do have one lane open. there's debris in the roadway, though, they have to clear that. that could be a problem from the east bay to the north bay. the bay bridge is stalling, but no metering lights.

no backup there, and the other alert from milpitas, calaveras boulevard has cleared from an earlier crash near city hall. calaveras boulevard reopen. back to you. >> thanks so much, mike. it is 6:31. and happening now, a live look at the white house, where president biden and ordering all u.s. flags to be lowered to half staff. this is to honor the eight people killed in tuesday's spa shootings in the atlanta area. closer to home, the family of a recent victim of violence in san francisco, an older asian woman, is speaking out. that woman was attacked on market street. cierra johnson joins us live from san francisco with an update on the victim and what advocates are also saying about the surge in violence targeting asians. >> yes, good morning. the family of the woman says it will be a long time before the 76-year-old feels comfortable even venturing outside. this after the attack. nbc had a chance to speak with her daughter and grandson, who

both say she suffered two black eyes, one of which still bleeds. and this victim was not the only victim in this attack. now, police say the woman and an 83-year-old were both attacked by 39-year-old steven jenkins. a gofundme post says the woman and the 83-year-old currently remain hospitalized. the 83-year-old with a fractured nose and a possible neck fracture. they say they're stepping up high visible patrols to restore a sense of safety in some communities. for the relatives of that one victim, that sense of security is gone. >> these times is not good for a normal walk on the street, especially for asian elders. been targeted a lot. >> and for nbc bay area's latest installment of race in america, the conversation. we sat down with author amy tan. she spoke candidly about her writing and the impact in showcasing the lives in asian

culture, and also the recent acts of violence as well as the nation's history of xenophobia. take a listen. >> and it's frightening because it's not just the sentiment. it's the violence that is happening. i have to believe that the people who have these sentiments are those who have not had extensive contact with anyone who is very different from them racially. >> and if you didn't have a chance to watch that segment or the entire series, it is online on nbcbayarea.com. and as those two elderly individuals recover in the hospital, there is a little bit of a silver lining. the community really rallying around those two. the gofundme for both of them has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars as they recover. we're live in san francisco. cierra johnson for today in the bay. >> and we're wishing them the

best in that recovery. thanks. >> we have got new details this morning on the bombshell announcement at santa clara university. the school's president, father kevin o'brien, is on leave as the university investigates what it calls an alleged impropriety. in a statement, trustees only say he exhibited behaviors in adult settings that may be inconsistent with jesuit protocols. you'll recall, o'brien presided over president biden's inaugural mass the morning biden took office. he's been the school president at santa clara for two years and the school says he's fully cooperating with the investigation. >> 6:35. a live look at san francisco and san jose this morning. with vaccinations going up, cases going down with covid, san francisco looking to move to the orange tier by next week. mayor london breed said more reopening efforts could begin as early as wednesday. they're not alone in san francisco. santa clara county as well as san jose included, looking to move to the orange tier by next

week. >> state lawmakers have approved new expanded sick leave. this is for more than 10 million workers. the bill mandates two weeks paid time off if evidence -- if you experience covid symptoms. scheduling of vaccine, or careing for a child learning from home. the law applies to companies with at least 25 employees. the rules expire september 30th but are retroactive until january 1st. >> new this morning, another sign of bay area recovery. starting next week, b.a.r.t. will add more cars to handle the increasing ridership. b.a.r.t. says actual time table for now will remain the same, but some of the busiest runs will have more cars added. riders on that richmond line will no longer have to change at macarthur for sfo bound trains. also, cal trains plans to add more cars to its service as ridership there starts to recover. >> we have more details in san francisco muni service there, slowly rebounding, but the examiner reports three light

rail lines now on hold are likely to stay that way through the end of the year. muni expects to bring back about 85% of its service by january 1st. for now, that will not include the l, the ocean view, or k ingleside train. mostly due to a lack of train manpower. have to get everybody up and running again. >> the first day of service reportedly not the best day of service for the oakland a's online ticket sale site. hackers flooded the site with denial of service responses for people who just want today get their tickets. yesterday was the first day that single-game tickets could be purchased online. shortly after the window opened, customers were frozen out. the site was overwhelmed. a's leaders called it one of the worst attacks ticket.com has ever seen. the site is now apparently back up and running but maybe running a little more slowly. >> the warriors may be extra challenged tonight when they hit

the floor in memphis to take on the grizzlies. star steph curry is listed as doubtful as falling awkwardly on a metal bench there on wednesday night in houston. the team is calling it a tailbone contusion. and it gets worse, though. kelly oubre is listed as doubtful as well. also james wiseman will be out due to contact tracing. could be a rough one for our team. >> absolutely. grab your tickets and your popcorn because most movie theaters are reopening across the state today. that includes cinemark locations in danville, richmond, and walnut creek. this is following contra costa county moving to the red tier. amc says starting today, 98% of its u.s. locations will be open, including 40 now reopening their doors here in california. that's good news, too. i guess if you're heading to the movies later, you may not need the umbrella. the rain moving out for us.

>> yeah, the rain is moving out. and still some cool temperatures will remain today, but as we get a look at storm ranger on mobile doppler radar, a few lingering showers in parts of the north bay. for the east bay, the roads are still just wet. if you're going out for the commute, expect temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s, and kind of holding steady with the slow warmup, but we will see a little bit more sunshine today. we'll get a look ahead to the weekend forecast coming up. mike, you have been watching some breaking news for the morning commute. >> that's right, kari. still going on for the north bay. from richmond to san rafael bridge, it's jammed up. now almost back to about -- let me move the map back here. we're talking about the crash still blocking at least one lane of westbound 580 approaching sir francis drake boulevard. there may have been some damp roadways as well in the area. just a heads-up but the big problem is the crash and debris blocking at least one lane as you get off the bridge in the

north bay. i circled the bay bridge just after the toll plaza around the metering lights. another disabled vehicle may complicate things, but we don't have metering lights on as far as i can tell. just a little congestion going up the incline. rest of the bay moves smoothly, but we have a crash just behind the clock, this is 85 southbound. just heard about a car crash there as well. i'm checking out details. there may be some slowing after a traffic break. we'll bring you those details coming up. back to you. >> all right. sounds good. thanks, mike. >> it's 6:40. coming up next, a very popular children's park filled with so many attractions is reopening today. we're going to tell you where and what you have to do to get in. plus -- >> the senate going to consider a bill that would give dreamers a path to citizenship. let's take a path out to the big board this morning. the fed says banks need to hold on to a big reserve of money, like they did during the pandemic. and that has traders disappointed. >> one of the bright spots of

the pandemic was getting outside more. we'll show you just how many more people use mother nature to lift their spirits. you're watching today in the bay.

good friday morning. if you're about to get up and get out the door for a morning run or a bike ride, in san jose, it's still kind of wet out there, and it's going to be cloudy to start. temperatures in the low 50s.

we'll start to see peeks of sunshine later this morning, and a lot more sunshine later today. we'll talk about that and what's ahead for the weekend coming up in a few minutes. >> and the breaking news continues for drivers into the north bay. across that richmond-san rafael bridge, westbound backed up because of a crash at sir francis drake. light traffic, but as more cars speed over, it will continue to build that backup across that span. we'll track that, and your alternate, the bay bridge, coming up. >> thanks so much. 6:44 right now. the fbi now asking for help identifying ten more suspects tied to the capitol riots. dramatic new enhanced video highlighting some of what the fbi called the most serious attacks on police officers that day, including beating officers with a table leg containing nails, also spraying officers with a fire extinguisher, using

a chemical spray. authorities have charged more than 300 people so far. >> as we have been reporting, president biden and vice president harris' trip to atlanta today, obviously, taking a different tone following the shootings of three asian spas. the trip was originally planned to tout his $2 trillion relief bill. so far, the first batch of 90 million direct payments has gone out. and president biden also urging the senate to join the house in passing citizenship for dreamers. >> scott mcgrew joins us now. that's just one small step in immigration reform. >> yeah, just a tiny step in what is a giant challenge really to fix the problems at the border and in our policies in general as far as immigration go. the presidents on both parties for many years have asked congress over and over for immigration reform, and congress

has dragged its heels. what you're seeing today is politicians breaking the issue down into bite-sized pieces. the measure passed the house led by democrats, but nine republicans joined, addressing just the dreamer. kids who came to america when their parents brought them. some kids didn't even know they were here illegally. this would give them a pathway to citizenship, and it's popular with most american voters. another measure would also create a pathway to citizenship for farm workers, which is popular in red agricultural states. all democrats and 30 republicans voted for that. it's not clear that any of this can get through the house or through the senate. it got through the house. as far as the current problems on the border, we got word that moffitt air field will not be used to house unaccompanied minors. what to do with them is a separate issue from the dreamers. kids coming across now do not get to be part of the daca dreamer deal at all.

>> senator and dr. rand paul and dr. anthony fauci squared off at a congressional hearing. fauci said the same thing the cdc is saying, wear a mask even if you have been vaccinated because we don't know for sure whether vaccinated people can still spread the virus. senator paul, who is an ophthalmologist, accused dr. fauci of political theater over masks, so bottom line, you have a debate between two doctors, but it was a debate about immunity, one of the people in the debate is an immunologist. >> let me just state for the record that masks are not theater. masks are protective. and we -- >> for immunity, they're theater. if you already have immunity, you're wearing a mask to give comfort to others. >> i totally disagree with you. >> we're watching what's happening with the president's trip to georgia today that marcus mentioned. you can follow us on twitter. >> thank you. you know happening today, a

cherished east bay family hangout reopens today. children's ferry land is open. it welcomes the public back in hours. the days are being split into morning visit times and afternoon slots. everyone needs a ticket, and there's a limited capacity. so some play areas will be open, and some of the animals will also be in their pens. >> nice to get back to a little normalcy there, especially for kids. >> let's go live to campbell this morning and to our own kris sanchez. we're looking back on the past year of lockdowns, getting outside really became a really important part of our lives to kind of keep us sane. >> yeah, one of the few things we could do safely, get outside enjoy a little bit of fresh air and nature with social distancing, of course. i know my family did a lot more hiking this year or hot walking as my little one calls it, and a lot of other folks were out there as well. we were impressed to see just how much those visitorships increased across the board.

>> i love to see more people out and about and really enjoying the outside spaces. and just kind of taking care of themselves. >> michael and baby acadia spend a lot of time outdoors as they had since before the pandemic, but now they have a lot more company. >> we do notice when we're here there are more people. >> we used to hike once a week and now we're walking twice a week. >> through the pandemic, open space district welcomed people with reminders to mask up and keep social distance, making some narrow trails one way only. the open space district saw an 88% increase in visitation through the year of the pandemic. visitation was up 30% within the east bay parks district overall, but 100% in some parks. the santa clara park system saw a 100% spike in vehicle and trail use in december alone. >> we're overjoyed. we think that a lot of the people that have come out for years are coming out more often. but we also think a lot of new

people are exploring and seeing parks and open space maybe for the first time. and we hope they keep coming back. >> and they may keep coming back for a while because though fewer people are getting sick and more people are getting vaccinated, indoor capacities will be limited for many activities for a while to come. >> when everybody is trapped indoors and having a little bit of green space to go to, it really makes a difference. >> now, a lot of folks headed outside because they needed exercise. and with all of the gyms closed for so long, that's what people were depending on. coming up on monday, we're going to introduce you to one business owner who was open for two days, whose studio was open for two days throughout the pandemic. we'll show you how she strengthened her business by leaning on her neighbors. in campbell, kris sanchez, today in the bay. >> all right. we love to go out. thanks so much. right now, for the moment, we're going to stay in and we're going to take you into our newsroom this morning where

we're celebrating a very special birthday. our executive producer, andy, is having his birthday today. >> andy has left the floor. >> he's so shy. >> oh, come on now. >> this is why i work behind the scenes, guys. don't show me. he probably pulled the plug himself. andy, we're very appreciative of you. >> we are, andy. happy birthday. if he was actually directing that, he would be like, what's going on. why is that frozen? >> why are you doing this? wait, let's go back live to andy in the newsroom. hey, buddy. turn around. >> hey, andy. turn around. ♪ happy birthday ♪ >> now he's shy. >> i like that shirt, too. >> we have the best team here. we miss you, andy. i miss you. oh, did you do your hair for this birthday? looking fabulous. >> that's the great thing about

this today in the bay team. we're genuine friends, too. and we love to celebrate, don't we? >> we do. celebration. >> party outside in the parking lot after the show. social distancing, of course. let's get a look at the weather. hopefully, it won't rain on us, kari. >> yeah. happy birthday, andy. we have some nice weather for you. how about we go to napa this weekend? we're going to see this rain moving out, and some sunshine in the forecast. we'll see more of that sunshine going into the weekend, as temperatures warm up into the upper 60s on sunday. okay, so if we're going to lake tahoe this weekend, we do have some -- a little bit of a wintry mix of rain and snow, but it does clear out for the rest of the weekend, and temperatures reaching into the mid-40s by sunday, and monterey will have highs in the 50s, but a heads-up if you're planning to head to the coastline today, there is a beach hazard statement in effect. national weather services giving

the heads-up that we are going to have some large breaking waves as well as some rip currents, so not the best time for swimming, and never turn your back to the water. as we get a look at temperatures today, definitely jacket weather in pacifica as we reach into the mid 50s with sunshine today and more sunshine in the forecast. spring starts tomorrow. and it will start to feel more like spring by the middle of next week. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? >> feels like a problem if you're heading from richmond to san rafael. east bay, that side as well. we're looking to the map, marking it out, westbound 580 is jammed up because of a crash and debris. sir francis drake boulevard. they're hooking up one of the vehicles. got another to go. some debris as well. that jams you up across the bridge and there's a backup at the bay bridge because i think some folks are avoiding this. the richmond side, a back up at the toll plaza forming in the last few minutes, and the bay bridge backup forming here as well as some folks may be avoiding that richmond side of

that bridge to san rafael. back to you. >> thanks, mike. >> happening now, much of france including paris is entering into another covid lockdown. this is a third surge of infections. mostly due to the highly contagious uk variant. >> and coming up for you, more students could soon be allowed in the classroom. a live report next for you. you're watching today in the bay.

6:57. welcome back. here's a quick look at our top stories we're following for you, including the possibility that distancing may soon be cut in half for some of the kids in the classroom. >> bob redell is live for us in dublin to explain the guidance now on the table and what teachers are saying about this. bob. >> well, the cdc is perhaps going to announce as early as today that it would be changing the social distancing requirement in schools from six to three feet for students. now, the american federation of teachers, that's the union that is staunchly opposed to this,

say to "the new york times" that they believe the social distancing guidelines in schools should remain at six feet over concerns of safety and logistics. the cdc, as i said, expected to announce the new three-foot rule as early as today. according to cnn. why the change? the cdc is pointing to a new study published, that compared infection rates of covid-19 in massachusetts public schools with different physical distancing requirements. that research suggests three feet may be as safe as six feet if everyone is masked. and the american federation of teachers tells "the new york times" the discussion of the three-foot rule for students is a debate about convenience when it should be a debate about safety. they question how schools will be able to adapt to the new rule if that means more kids in the classrooms, specifically they're asking about things like what are the protocols going to be for going to the bathroom or going up and down the stairs. reporting live here in dublic,

bob redell, today in the bay. >> thank you. >> there's breaking news for you this morning. a judge just made key rules in the trial of derek chauvin. this is the former officer facing murder charges in the death of george floyd. now, that judge is denying a defense request to delay the proceedings. he's also rejecting a request to move that trial. the judge is also allowing a paramedic who attended to floyd to testify about medical evidence only. >> all right, time to get a quick check of weather and traffic before we go. kari, how are we looking? >> it looks good for this last day of winter. more sunshine as we welcome in spring and next week our temperatures warm up into the low 70s. mike, how is it looking for the commute? >> not good if you're driving from richmond. here, the backup at the toll plaza forming big time as we look at the map, the reason is because of the crash in san rafael that i circled there. the alternate, the bay bridge, sees more traffic, but that's starting to smooth out. that's the problem this morning.

>> all right, that's going to do it for us. happy friday. >> yes, a live look for you at walnut creek, gloomy, but hey, it's friday. enjoy the last day of winter. and look, we'll see you back here monday. don't forget to have a good weekend. "today" show is next. congress taking on the issue for the first time in more than 30 years. >> a bull's eye on the back of asian-americans across this country, on our grandparents, on our kids. we will not let you take our voice away from us. >> straight ahead this morning, where the investigation stands, as new video emerges of the suspect lying in wait just