good morning. it is saturday, may 15th, a live look outside in downtown san jose. cloudy skies, saw a little bit of sprinkles on my drive in, on this saturday morning. thank you so much for starting your weekend with us. i'm kira klapper. vianey arana joins us with a quick look at your microclimate forecast. we missed you last week, but i did tell the viewers that you went to surprise your mom for mother's day. >> yeah, it went great. she was super excited. i was really happy to see her.

and best in the bay, again. we face time every day. i still get to see her thanks to technology. but doppler radar right now is showing some activity. we've got the upper level low that we've been monitoring. that's going to bring a chance for some shower activity, but also a chance for lightning and thunderstorms, mainly to the north and to the east of us near the sierra. you can actually see some lightning strikes popping up on radar near the reading area. take a look at your headlines for today. it is going to be cooler and breezy today. highs in the 50s around the coastline, lows in the 70s today. weekend showers for today may even linger into the early morning hours for tomorrow and as i mentioned, slight risk of thunder. i'll get into more detail in just a bit. >> vianey, see you in about 15. thanks so much. if you are fully vaccinated, you can take off your mask in most instances. that's the latest from the cdc. but here in california, state and county leaders haven't given the green light to do that just yet. an update is expected any day now, but confusion remains.

do we keep masks on or not? today in the bay's jean elle begins our coverage. >> reporter: it's decision time for masking rules. ucsf covid-19 expert dr. monica gandhi says it's time for california to end mask mandates, because research shows vaccines work. >> so it blocks you from getting sick, it blocks others from getting the infection and putting that all together is what led the cdc to recommend that vaccinated people don't have to wear masks indoors or outdoors. >> reporter: dr. gandhi also says the opportunity to remove the mask might convince people to get vaccinated. >> there's some people who need that have incentive to get the vaccine, who are holding back. they're like, tell me when this mask thing will end. and if that will increase vaccine motivation and uptake, that is another reason the cdc did this. >> reporter: infectious disease doctor john swartzberg agrees the science supports the cdc guidance, but he has concerns about human nature. >> people who are not vaccinated

need to wear masks. but frankly, i don't have enough trust that everybody is going to do that. rterg says a numbers and vaccination levels. >> the cdc should have said, let's set some metrics for percent positivity in terms of testing and the percentage of population vaccinated. and when that population -- percent of the population vaccinated is really high and the percent positivity really low, the masks can come offindoors. >> reporter: when it comes to the indoor mask mandate, there's lots to consider. the governor and state health leaders haven't released a decision, a decision county officials will have to react to and make their own rules. jean elle, nbc bay area news. >> well, some major retailers aren't waiting for california to make a decision on masks. costco, walmart, and trader joe's are mirroring the cdc's guidance, telling fully

vaccinated customers, you now don't need a mask to shop indoors. "today in the bay" spoke with some shoppers on whether people are going mask free. >> reporter: at the costco store in santa clara, ralph alvarez took his mask off as soon as he finished his evening shopping. he was surprised to hear costco is among the retailers that now allow them to shop mask free. >> no way? huh. we didn't know that. i didn't know that. i just went in like normal. >> reporter: county health officials across the bay area have said they're waiting for guidance from the state before advising mask rules. until then, you may still not be able to depending on each county. shopper janelle abby says she works in the medical field, so she's comfortable wearing masks. but on her next costco run, she may venture in maskless if allowed. >> especially if i'm running in for a short thing, i would probably go without it. i probably would have it in my purse, honestly, in case it's a little crowded or something. >> reporter: walmart, the

world's biggest retailer also changed their mask rule. diana is among the first customers we saw who decided to venture in unmasked. no workers stopped her. >> if they're following guidelines and we're able to loosen things up a little bit, why not? >> reporter: but as large stores and businesses make their adjustments, mom and pop shops are still trying to decide what to do. at j.t. express in japantown, joel hodges is waiting to see what santa clara will decide. and even if they rescind the mask mandate. >> i might keep my mask on for a little while just to be sure. i mean, i'm fully vaccinated, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to keep the mask on for a little while. >> reporter: in san jose, nbc bay area news. if you are still looking for a vaccine or you want the latest on california's mask guidance, our website is a great source. nbcbayarea.com. in other news, israeli war planes are pounding the gaza ei

children were killed in a refugee camp. a high rise building that houses offices of international media including the associated press and al jazeera was flattened. this is the sixth consecutive day of air strikes and rocket fire fighting between israel and hamas militants in gaza. a top u.s. diplomat is there today, due to meet with senior israeli palestinian and u.n. officials to push for calm. thousands of people in the gaza strip have fled to try to find safe shelter. at least 122 palestinians have been killed, including 51 children and women. back here locally, happening today, several unity against hate rallies across the bay area in the continuing effort to stop the violence against asian americans. in fremont, the rally is at veterans memorial park. in oakland, it will be at pacific renaissance

communities united rally at central park in san mateo. in union city, there is a protect our elders event. they'll be passing out safety kits to seniors at birdhouse beer garden on smith street. all rallies begin at 11:00 this morning. also this morning, oakland police are investigating the beating of an 80-year-old man who was assaulted and robbed while on his way home. these pictures released yesterday show this man, jose, after he was brutally attacked. he was stopped at a red light two blocks from his west oakland home when he noticed a car speeding behind him. it ended up rear-ending him. two of the four men inside got out and started beating him. the other two ransacked the car, looking for things to steal, and then joined in beating the man. he has a gash on his nose, he's now missing two teeth. jose's granddaughter, who wants to remain anonymous, likens this

attack to the recent attack on asian elders. >> i understand the asian community and the seniors that are going through the hate crimes, but honestly, i feel like there's been a lot of attacks on hispanics and latinos. i'm pretty sure the same race as them to have more empathy. >> the family hopes that coming forward gets more attention for other attacks on hispanic and latino elders. happening today, it will be easier to get around the city again. muni is bringing back full service. all light rail stations included underground stops are back open for the first time since last august. new bus routes are debuting, as well as updated wi-fi service and the historic f-line from the castro to the embarcadero will be back up and running again. governor gavin newsom laid out a massive spending wish list to help the state bounce back from the pandemic. the revised state budget had a surprise surplus and federal stimulus money. newsom is now proposing to spend

$7 billion to expand broadband access. another $1.5 billion to help struggling small businesses. free transitional kindergarten for all california families is also on his wish list, so to speak. and that's along with another round of stimulus payments. reporters asked if the extra money means republicans are right and california's taxes are too high. >> they need to talk about taxes in california, not just taxes on the high end earners in california. but look at tax policy throughout the state, including property tax rates in the state, that are more modest than the vast majority of states that they often identify as more tax friendly. >> lawmakers now get the chance to add their own budget items. the deadline is june 15th. at 7:09, we have much more ahead on "today in the bay." did you know, the uc system is deciding to stop considering a.c.t. and s.a.t. scores for

college applicants. we'll explain why, coming up. people today... they could spend half their lives over 50. so, it helps to have a wise friend and fierce defender like aarp. to help you take control of your health along the way. what's in it?

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welcome back. just shy of 7:12 on your saturday morning. cloudy skies. good morning to you in dublin. we are expecting a cooler day today. 60s is pretty much the median temperature for the bay area today. vianey arana has your full forecast in about five minutes. the uc system will stop considering s.a.t. and a.c.t. scores when making decisions on admissions and scholarships. the "chronicle" is reporting the major change is the result of a legal settlement just announced. it ends a 2019 lawsuit brought by low-income students of color and students with disabilities who argued they were at a disadvantage when compared to students who could afford test prep services. back in may of last year, uc regions voted requiring both exams of incoming freshman, instead making them voluntary.

but yesterday's agreement settles the matter once and for all. no test scores considered for anyone. and it's that time of year again for creative graduation ceremonies in this pandemic life. ceremonies continue this weekend for graduates at cal state east bay. and instead of having that regular commencement ceremony, the university is having a car commencement. this is yesterday. families staid in their cars, but graduates could get out for their moment of recognition and take pictures. we want to congratulate all the graduates at all the universities. and at 7:13, we have much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, new information on the massive church fire that happened in the east bay. coming up, what firefighters now say caused that fire. and it is cooler and it's also cloudy, but we're talking about the chance of thunderstorm activity and showers in some parts of the bay area.

what this will mean for our saturday's full forecast, coming up.

welcome back at 7:15 on your saturday morning, over san jose, we're expecting cooler temperatures today. vianey arana has your full forecast in just about a minute and a half. but first, we have new details and we now know the cause of the massive fire that burned a church in the east bay earlier this week. firefighters say the fire at christ community church of the nazarene in concord was caused by people. flames broke out at church early thursday morning. the roof and the second floor collapsed. we're told the building was used for storage and small gatherings. in lighter news, the monterey bay aquarium is now reopening to the public. it closed more than a year ago, of course, because of the pandemic. masks and social distancing are required. you must buy your tickets online. tickets for the month of may, already booked. as temperatures are cooling down this weekend, we are

running the risk of having thunderstorms and lightning strikes. these are satellite images from last night, just to the north of the bay area. a perfect time now to bring in vianey arana, who is tracking the cooldown, the possibility of thunderstorms. and vianey, what does this all mean for the fire danger? we're already in a drought. we already have dry conditions. >> yeah. and you know, i think most people, when they see a cooldown, they think, it's a lot cooler outside. yes, but, we still have plenty of dry brush out there. conditions on the ground still remain dry, because of the lack of rain that we've had from a rainfall year. so i want to show you doppler radar and kind of zoom out of the bigger picture, because if you kind of notice in the reading area near the sierra, as well, we've got some rain. but, we've also spotted a couple of lightning strikes. and the reason why that is an area for concern is that cloud-to-ground lightning could bring a dry lightning risk.

so all it could take is one lightning strike to strike on the ground and then that could easily and quickly spread and start a fire, which is why we have to monitor that and keep that very close. now, as far as rainfall, we're probably not going to see a ton of rain out of this system, especially not throughout the entire bay area. but if you live in through the north bay and in through the interior portions, we still have a chance for shower activity. i'll take you through the hour-by-hour outlook on that in just a second. 51 degrees in dublin. notice the cloud cover through mainly if first half of the day. some peeks of sunshine by this afternoon, and here's a closer look at your daytime highs. we have temperatures in the 60s and 70s through some of the interior valleys. notice, primarily in napa, san rafael, and even in through fremont and the san jose area, through about 7:00 a.m. tomorrow and after 11:00 a.m. today, so 11:00 a.m. today through tomorrow morning, we could still see the chance of seeing some shower activity. the best chances will be late

tonight into the evening hours. so, how long is this going to stick around? we're going to see the possibility of showers today and keep in mind that we are running a pretty extreme drought up here in the north bay. and in through tuesday, we're going to see an early next week cool off, more showers are a possibility, which is good news, because we definitely need that rain. and here's a closer look at the seven-day forecast. again, about a 30% chance of seeing thunderstorm activity. it's all going to depend on the instability that's going to be happening in the atmosphere. there's no real way to detect exact timing, but we do have an idea about where the possibility and location wise for the chance for that thunderstorm. so sunday, monday, temperatures remain in the 60s for san francisco. take a look at inland areas, mid-70s through about monday. and things begin to really just sort of clear out, heading into tuesday, as far as the sunshine comes around. mid-70s and, of course, be careful out there. if you hear the thunder roar, head indoors. let's get to your climate hack. we've been thinking about ways

to officially avoid throwing things away. but are you paying attention to how you're throwing it away and in what? here's a good planet-friendly thought for those trash bags. >> time to take out the trash! without even thinking about it, some of of us just tie and toss. but while you're cleaning your space, you're dirtying up our planet, filling up our landfills and choking our wildlife. plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. and when they break down, they form tiny particles that end up in our soil and waterways, and these little guys eating those plastic particles can get sick or even die. hey, vianey, time for your climate hack. let's make a change by using biodegradable bags that are 100% compostable. here's the payoff. let's take sunnyville, 153,000 people live there. if they all used compostable trash bags instead of two plastic trash bags a week, we'd keep more than a million plastic

trash bags out of the landfill in just one month. follow me at nbcvianeyarana. >> and the cool thing is, you can find those in major stores and also local, sustainable shots throughout your cities. don't forget, i did create a list of sustainable shops throughout the entire bay area that you can find in the climate in crisis tab. and a great way to boost our local economy. >> it's a great resource. thanks, vianey. at 7:21, still ahead on "today in the bay, "-- >> i think we all felt better that day, just watching such a nice thing happen. >> he jumped into the water when two people were in trouble and this morning, the community is now rallying around this hero. but first, it's time for our clear the shelters segment, featuring our friends from pets in need.

this is burt. he's 2 years old. he only has three legs after pets in need discovered bullet fragments in his front leg. he had a rough path, so his new owners will need to help him continue to build his confidence and rebuild his trust in humans. he loves seasoning to christmas music and classical music. he would do best in an all-adults home, preferably without stairs and a fenced in yard. you can find out more about burt by going to petsinneed.org or by giving them a call. we'll be right back.

we want to tell you now about one good deed deserving another. this morning in our bay area proud series, a hero is being repaid for what he lost. "today in the bay's" garvin thomas shows us. >> reporter: when we caught up with zaid stone hynes the other day, the fact that he was getting ready to surf was no surprise. the 17-year-old from aptos does

it a lot. >> i try to surf every day. yeah. >> reporter: what's different on board zade is using. and the story behind it is exactly why we wanted to talk with him. >> i was in the right place at the right time. i can tell you that. >> reporter: that time was a couple of sundays ago, at sunny cove in santa cruz. zade says the serve was huge that day and he had just gotten out of the water when a friend ran up to him. >> he ran over to me and said, yo, there's two guys in the water over here, like, they're struggling big-time. so i just grabbed the board and just ran over there. >> so they jumped in here and pretty quickly went this direction. >> reporter: cammie ricman watched it all unfold from the bluff overlooking the cove. two swimmers had jumped in and were immediately in trouble. one rescued himself, but the other pulled by the current was in danger of being slammed against the rocks. that's the one zade went after. he got him on his board and was

right to paddle him to safety. >> and then some fat sets came, like, it was probably the biggest sets of the day. i was like, whoo, like, this sucks. >> the biggest wave separated zade from his board. in this video, you see the two in the water as rescuers arrive. zade had saved the man, but his board was gone for good. >> i've been surfing on that thing since i was 4 or 5. i'd had that thing forever. >> reporter: cammie and the crowd above who had seen everything, not only cheered zade when he got onshore, they started stuffing money in his hand to replace the board. someone later posted zade's venmo account online and people donated what zade called an extreme amount of money. enough to buy not one, but two boards. >> it was pretty cool to see o

pretty cool. >> zade says he thought little of the risk of what he did that day. and not at all about a reward. but in the end, isn't that exactly what makes it so well deserved. >> i think we all felt better that day, just watching such a nice thing happen. >> reporter: in santa cruz, garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> and at 7:27, we have much more ahead for you on "today in the bay." coming up, anxiously awaiting an announcement. will california follow the cdc's recommendations for fully vaccinated people to stop wearing their masks. a local expert's opinion may surprise you. plus, governor gavin newsom waylays out a budget wish list. how some of the proposals could benefit your family. fers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call

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outside in downtown san jose. a mild morning. not too bad. 50s across the bay, but cloudy skies and cooler temperatures, as we head into this weekend. already the middle of may. i can't believe how time is flying. thank you for joining us. i'm kira klapper. vianey arana joins with us a quick peek at your microclimate forecast. hey, vianey. >> hey there. we definitely have the may grey going on. look at this live look over san jose. you can see the cloud cover there. and we are monitoring the chance for some shower activity, as well. especially after the 11:00 a.m. hour. if you live up through the north bay or portions of the east, there's a good chance you might catch some chances. san francisco right now, a live look, you'll see the fog. and i want to see your microclimate highs for today, because it is going to be cooler compared to what we've seen this week. morgan hill, 67. but if you notice, it says, watching thunderstorms north and east. it's got enough instability with that upper level low, where we could see the chance of some

lightning strikes, which brings a concern for fire danger. i'll go into more detail on that coming up in a in few minutes. keira? >> look forward to seeing you, vianey, thanks. in case you missed it, the cdc's announcement that fully vaccinated people can ditch their masks in most instances has many celebrating. but here in the bay area, we await word on whether that will be adopted across california. an update is expected any day now. >> reporter: it's decision time nor masking rules. ucsf covid-19 expert dr. monica gandhi says it's time for california to end mask mandates, because research shows vaccines work. >> so it blocks you from getting sick, blocks others from getting the infection and putting that all together is what led the cdc to recommend that vaccinated people don't have to wear masks indoors or outdoors. >> reporter: dr. gandhi also says the opportunity to remove

the mask might convince people to get vaccinated. >> there's some people who need that incentive to get the vaccine. and if that will increase vaccine motivation and uptake, that's another reason the cdc did this. >> reporter: infectious disease dr. john swartzberg agrees the science supports the cdc guidance, but he has concerns about human nature. >> people are not vaccinated need to wear masks, but i don't have enough trust that everybody will do that. >> he also says a mask policy should be tied to a state's covid case numbers. >> the cdc should have said, let's set some metrics for percent positivity, in terms of testing and the percentage of population vaccinated. and when that population -- percent of the population vaccinated gets really high and the percent positivity really low, the masks can come off indoors. >> reporter: when it comes to

the indoor mask mandate, there is lots to consider. the governor's office and state health leaders haven't released a decision, a decision counties will have to react to. jean elle, nbc bay area news. >> some major retailers aren't waiting for the state to make a decision on masks. apple is maintaining that masks are mandatory. but trader joe's are mirroring the cdc's guidance, telling fully vaccinated customers you do not need your masks to shop. sergio quintana went out to find how shoppers feel. >> reporter: at the costco store in santa clara, ralph alvarez took his mask off as soon as he finished his evening shopping. he was surprised to hear costco is among the retailers that now allow them to shop mask free. >> no way? huh. we didn't know that. i didn't know that. yeah, i just went in like normal. >> reporter: county health officials across the bay area have said they're waiting for guidance from the state before revising mask rules.

until then, even though stores may allow you to go maskless, you may still not be able to, depending on each county. shopper janelle abby says she works in the medical field, so she's comfortable wearing masks. but on her next costco run, she may venture in maskless if allowed. >> i would probably have it my purse, honestly, in case it's a little crowded or something. >> reporter: walmart also adjusted its mask rules following the cdc's guidance, and california-based trader joe's is also adjusting. diana nakano is among the first customers we saw who decided to venture in unmasked. no workers stopped her. >> if they're following guidelines and we're now able to loosen things up a little bit, why not? >> reporter: but as large stores and businesses make their adjustments, mom and pop shops are still trying to decide what to do. that even if they rescind the mask mandate? >> i might keep my mask on for a

little while to be sure. i'm fully vaccinated, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to keep the mask on for a little while. >> reporter: in san jose, sergio quintana, nbc bay area news. >> and if you're still looking for a vaccine or you want the latest on california's mask guidance, nbcbayarea.com is a great resource. now to the middle east, where israeli war planes are pounding the gaza strip today. at least eight children were killed in a refugee camp saturday. a high rise building that houses offices of international media including the associated press and al jazeera was flattened. this is the sixth consecutive day of air strikes and rocket fire fighting between israel and hamas militants in gaza. a top u.s. diplomat is there today. thousands of people in the gaza strip are fleeing to try to find safe shelter.

at least 122 palestinians have been killed, including 51 children and women. back here locally, happening today, several unity against hate rallies across the bay area, in the continuing effort to stop the violence against asian americans. in fremont, the rally is at veterans memorial park. in oakland, it will be at the pacific renaissance plaza, that's where the oakland chinatown chamber of commerce is. people in san mateo county are encouraged to join for the communities united rally off central park in san mateo. and in union city, a protect the elders event will pass out on smith street. all rallies begin at 11:00 this morning. also happening today,t will be a lot easier to around the city. all light rail stations that

were closed during the covid outbreaks are back open again. this will be the first time since last august. new bus routes are also debuting as well as updated wi-fi service. and the historic f-line from the castro to the embarcadero will be running once again. also happening today, if you take b.a.r.t., you might experience some delays. the transit service will begin work today between the south hayward and union city stations. parts of the track will be shut down for crews to replace parts of it. some of the track has been in use nearly 50 years since 1972. b.a.r.t. will offer free shuttle buses to bridge passengers over that closure. you should expect to add just about 25 minutes to your trip. the work will take place on abe. governor gavin newsom laid out a massive s the state bounce back state budget surprise surplus as well as

federal stimulus money. newsom is now proposing $7 billion to expand broadband access, another $1.5 billion to help struggling small businesses. free transitional kindergarten for all california families, as well. that's along with another round of stimulus payments. reporters asked the governor if this extra money means republicans are right and californian's taxes are too high. >> they need to talk about taxes in california, not just taxes on the high end earners in california. a tax policy throughout the state, including tax rates in the state that are more modest than the vast majority of states that they often identify as more tax friendly. >> lawmakers now get the chance to add their own budget line items. the deadline is june 15th. and new this morning, china landed a spacecraft on mars for the very first time. touchdown was just after 4:00 p.m. is that china time or mars time?

the distance between earth and mars caused a delay for mission control in beijing to confirm the successful deployment of its heat shield, its rockets, and a giant parachute to control the craft's descent. it will now join "perseverance" that landed on the red planet back in february. it's a plea to major league baseball. the message oakland city leader are making to try to keep the as at home.

welcome back. it's 7:41. good morning. walnut creek, cloudy skies, cooler temperatures today, but still 72 expected in walnut creek today. vianey has your full forecast in just a little bit. the as future in oakland is still unclear. and now oakland city council members are reaching out directly to major league

baseball. in this letter you see on your screen, three council members urged the league to stop talking to other cities. they say the city council is committed to negotiating in good faith for a strong future for the as in oakland. the as, meanwhile, told us the mlb is talking to at least four other cities. and the mayor of las vegas says she's been talking to the legal about the as for the past two years. the as are trying to get city approval to build a waterfront ballpark at howard, let's see, howard terminal at jack london square. vice mayor rebecca kaplan is one of the three authors of that letter. >> and out of the blue, major league baseball is threatening relocation, completely inappropriate and without even trying to talk to city officials. >> the major league baseball baseball commissioner says that this week, he was concerned with the rate of progress on the new ballpark. coming up at 7:42, it's off

to the races for the preakness stakes today. but will the winner of the kentucky derby be able to compete after the horse failed a drug test?ornizers. and it's cloudy and cool. we're monitoring shower chances in the bay area. i'll talk about that, plus possible lightning, coming up. stay with us.

good morning. it's cloudy. it's about 7:45 right now, and we are going to be seeing a cooler day ahead. a live look over san jose right now. you can definitely notice the cloud cover out there. but really, not just many san jose. we're seeing throughout san francisco, take a look at this view using our weather underground cameras. and also, i want to show you south lake tahoe. the reason i want to show you south lake tahoe is because we're also tracking some shower activity in the sierra. let's take a look at doppler radar and satellite. the green appears to be a little bit of drizzle. but if i pull this map out, you

can see near the reading area, the reno area there, some lightning being detected. and there is a chance of some thunderstorm development, especially into the afternoon and evening hours. so what does this mean when it comes to fire risk? well, there is a potential for cloud-to-ground lightning, which could bring the risk for dry lightning. and as you know, we really haven't had that much rain when it comes to rainfall here. so a lot of the bushes and the grass and all of that mountain areas are really dry. so you get one lightning strike, and we can quickly see a fire start, spark, or spread. we'll monitor that very closely heading into this afternoon. we're going to watch out for thunderstorm activity to the north and to the east. temperatures today will be in the upper 60s, down to the south bay, 69 for san jose. mid-60s for oakland. 64, san francisco, about 60 degrees, and napa in the upper 60s, low 70s. let's take a look at the hour-by-hour outlook.

as i mentioned, cool and breezy expected today. if i take this timeline through about 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, there's still a chance that we'll get some shower activity heading into tonight and early tomorrow morning, as well. there's enough instability there, not going to get much in the way of significant rainfall, as far as accumulations go, but noticeably cooler. as far as the long-range outlooks go, we'll see those showers east, with the upper level low, moving out of the area. and looking out to monday and tuesday, things dry out. but there is a possibility that we could see more showers moving in early next week into the bay area. let's take a look at the seven-day forecast. and we are going to see san francisco remain in those 60s, tomorrow, 63 degrees. monday, 62. take a look at the inland temperatures. temperatures will be in the 70s again. if you hear a roar, head indoors when it comes to lightning. we want safety first. if you live up through portions of the north bay and in through the east, definitely, please, keep that in mind if you have

plans to travel to the sierra. definitely check those travel source of covid. coming up, the investigation underway into the cause of covid-19 from the stanford doctor who is on the case.

welcome back. it is 7:50 on your saturday morning. clouds and fog over the bay, as

we look at the bay bridge in san francisco. winds today, even the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning. vianey arana says much cooler across the bay area today. how kid covid-19 really start? and where did it originate? a group of top doctors from across the country is calling for a deeper investigation into the cause of the coronavirus pandemic. was it an animal or did it come from a lab. one of those doctors asking those questions is from stanford. and today in the bay's ian cole spoke with him about the investigation. >> reporter: with the goal of getting clarity on the origin of the virus that has killed more than 3 million people worldwide, a group of 18 prominent scientists penned a letter calling for an international investigation into exactly how covid-19 began. >> and i think we can do this. we need to do it and we can. >> reporter: dr. david is a stanford professor of medicine

in microbiology. he co-authored the letter. >> the consequences have been enormous. it's a calamity. and i think the important point to say here is, it matters. it matters how it began, as to how we go about trying to prevent the next one. >> reporter: the world health organization conducted an investigation, finding the cause from an animal was likely to very likely, and a laboratory incident as extremely unlike. by dr. roman and the group says it wasn't a fair assessment. of the 313-page report, only four pages covered a possible lab accident. >> we should not be just offering our own personal opinions based on what we think or what we feel. there's already been too much of that. what we're seeing in this letter is, let's just refrain from offering our opinion and simply look at the cold, hard facts that we have available. >> the u.s. and 13 other

countries expressed concerns about the w.h.o study, because investigators were delayed from entering china until months after the pandemic began. and because china withheld critical data. dr. roman says multiple countries should be involved in the probe to prevent any conflict of interest. >> our government and some other governments are thinking about how exactly would we do this. do we bring in national academies of science from multiple countries? there's already discussion about this. >> reporter: they add, with anti-asian sentiment in some countries, to remember it was the chinese doctors, scientists, and journalists who shared crucial information with the world about the virus spread at great personal cost. now they, too, want to get the answers the world deserves. ian cole, nbc bay area news. coming up next, a quick look at the top stories we're following, including, if you're fully vaccinated, the cdc says you can take off your mask. but california has not adopted that guidance just yet.

a few places you can go inside mask-free, locally.

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to help keep our state golden. welcome back. a quick look at the stories we're following this saturday morning. the cdc says if you're fully vaccinated, you don't need a mask in most instances. here in the bay area, county and state leader aren't giving the green light just yet. health experts say they need to weigh many variables, including case numbers and vaccination rates in counties and across california. governor gavin newsom's office and state health leaders say an announcement is imminent. a covid-19 expert from ucsf says it's time for california to end mask mandates, because research shows vaccines work. some major retailers aren't waiting for the state to make a decision on masks. apple is maintaining masks are mandatory when shopping in their stores, but costco, walmart, and trader joe's are mirroring the cdc's guidance, telling fully vaccinated customers you don't

need a mask to shop. the monterey bay aquarium is reopening today after being closed for more than a year. masks and social distancing are required. visitors need to buy tickets online, but tickets for may are already sold out. now to his kentucky derby victory. it's still in limbo, but medina spirit will be allowed to take part in today's second leg of the horse race's triple crown. ten horses are set to take the field in the preakness stakes at pimlico. the owners of medina's spirit is still awaiting results of a second test to confirm that the horse was given a banned drug before the kentucky derby, but the preakness reached an agreement allowing him to take part today. right now, he's the odds-on favorite. the race begins today right here on nbc bay area. coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. before we go, we'll check in with vianey for one last look at our saturday forecast. hey, "v". >> hey, there. i wanted to give you a quick look at the headlines today when

it comes to your weather. a cool and breezy day ahead. 50s on the coastline, low 70s today for the interior valleys. and we are monitoring the chance of some shower activity, but also a risk of thunderstorms and dry lightning for nor cal and also the sierra. so portions of the north, keep that in mind heading into this afternoon. looking out at the seven-day forecast, temperatures will be in the 60s, really for the remainder of the week, in san francisco and in through the inland areas, things will dry out by monday, but even tomorrow, we still have the possibility of seeing some thunderstorm activity there through the interior valley. so keep that in mind. if you hear thunder, head indoors. if you hear a roar, as well, please stay safe out there. and if you do see some lightning, take a photo, but from the safety of the inside of your house, please. >> or if you're my son, hide under the covers. when we had that lightning storm back in august, he ran into our bed and was terrified. and i just pray for all the kids and dogs out there that we don't have that again.

>> mm-hmm. >> thanks, vianey. thanks to all of you for making us a part of your morning. no 5:00 or 6:00 news tonight. instead, it's the nhl right here on nbc. we'll be back at 7:00 and 11:00.

. narrator: when you see this symbol, you know you're watching television that is educational and informational. the more you know on nbc. dylan: hi, everybody. i'm dylan dreyer, and this is "earth odyssey". today, we'll travel the earth in search of the planet's smallest creatures, like in the amazon, where one of the smallest insects do what they can to stay on dry land. then, we look to the night sky to find the dance of the firefly. plus, we'll tune in to the word of one teeny-tiny hummingbird. all this and more on today's "earth odyssey".