phase of the pandemic. also, one bay area health expert is weighing in this morning. raging out of control, high-level meeting governor newsom is set to have with president biden on wildfire response. i'm raj mathai live in tokyo. we'll be joined by one of the most famous men in america and new developments regarding simone biles. we'll see you in a few minutes live in japan. and it is friday and a good morning to you as we're broadcasting over the tv waves as well as live streaming online at nbcbayarea.com. want to say a good morning to you and thank for making us part of your morning. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. we'll check in with mike with a look at the morning drive just head. the morning forecast with kari. >> looks pretty good. getting ready to head out the door in the east bay in pleasant

hill, temperatures in the low 60s. it's going to clear out quickly and heat up quickly. we'll reach into the mid 80s with some of our afternoon highs reaching up to 96 in concord, livermore, still cool near the coast. we'll talk about the weekend forecast in a few minutes. >> thanks so much. sounds good. 6:01. quoting here, we must acknowledge the war has changed. that's a direct quote from a stunning presentation given by the cdc about the covid delta variant charging through the country and, of course, right here in the bay area. "washington post" breaking the story overnight. >> this morning, live team coverage from the bay area to d.c. on this report. really shocking, sending shockwaves throughout the country. want to begin with kris sanchez with what we need to know. there was a ucsf doctor profiled in the piece. >> yeah. we've been hearing from dr. bob walker throughout this pandemic and he says even he is surprised by some of what the cdc is now

reporting. the cdc now says that that delta variant is more contagious than the common cold than chicken pox and ebola and new data shows that the viral load is the same in ineffected vaccinated people as people who have not gotten their shots meaning vaccinated people are still contagious. and "the new england journal of medicine" found breakthrough cases are mild but those symptoms can linger beyond six weeks. the doctor told our colleague that we can't just say we've already done it all. we are going to be in covid world for the foreseeable future. it's not clear what the end game will be. the end game may be worse than where we are now because there's no guarantee that delta is the worse variant we could possibly see. >> that delta variant is driving our current surge and the doctor said that at the beginning of june for illustration, there was one covid patient at ucsf and then earlier this week there

were 38, about half of whom were in the intensive care unit and some of whom he says will likely die. bob redell is looking at hospitalizations here in the bay area coming up at 6:00, but for now the doctor says that vaccines are still the best protection against covid, against spreading that virus to other people, including people who cannot be vaccinated. we have to remember that our kids under 12 cannot get the shot and they are going to go back to school in person, most of them, because that's what we're trying to do, we're trying to get them back to school. >> normalcy for them. worry for the parents. >> a lot of worry. >> we'll check back with you in a moment. we want to bring in tracie potts live in washington, d.c. >> the thing a lot of people are talking about, the president still getting a lot of pushback on his vaccination plan and now he wants those states to get more creative luring people to get the shots. >> reporter: right. by paying them $100 from their covid funds to do so.

the president says incentives work, try that. try to deal with this growing pandemic. he's offering to reimburse ploirs who give people off to get time to get their shot after telling federal workers and contractors they have to swear they have been vaccinated or face restrictions and testing as much as twice a week in some areas. in washington, house republicans are protesting the mask mandate, which by the way is only recommended in the senate. they are refusing to wear the masks despite the threat of arrests and a thousand dollar fine. >> i cannot phantom a legitimate reason to arrest a person in this building for not wearing a mask. >> reporter: pfizer's data now shows that their vaccine wanes in effectiveness after a few months but the cdc and fda has not said a booster is necessary

for everyone. back to you. >> thank you. >> certainly definitely concerning there. kris, you're still here. we've been talking about how this affects a lot of people and just the fact that so many are hesitant to get the vaccine. >> the variant, it's changing. >> it is changing. so, you know, it was just out and about at the store the other day and a gal said, i have to wear mask again. what a waste of time getting the vaccine. you have to consider that that vaccine is going to protect you from getting super sick and ending up in the hospital. we know that vast majority -- >> or spread it, even if you're vaccinated you can get it. >> you're not going to end up in the hospital or might not spread it as easily. we heard the doctor say the nasal -- the viral load in people's nostrils in the vaccinated and unvaccinated is about the same. we're more contagious when we get it even when vaccinated. that's the only protection we have at this point so you have to take advantage of that. his thought, though, was that it's shocking that we can't get

40%, 50% vaccination with a vaccine so effective and the reason is highly political. and a lot of disinformation. >> yeah. very. >> the doctors saying now people who are in the hospital are begging for the vaccine but can't give it to them. >> not until they get better. happening today, president biden and vice president kamala harris they will meet with seven western governors to discuss the response to recent raging wildfires. now president biden led a similar meeting exactly one month ago and in that case he raised the minimum rate to federal firefighters to keep crews more staffed. governor newsom will be among those taking part in today's conference along with the governors of oregon, washington and idaho. we're approaching the end of week one in tokyo. this morning all eyes remain on simone biles as new social media

posts are raising doubts about her competing moving forward. >> raj mathai joining us live from tokyo and good friday morning to you. what do these posts say? >> it's pretty interesting because you are just trying to decipher her mental frame of mind, not only physically but her mental health. we can't figure it out other than we'll report what we see and gives you an idea of what she's going through here in tokyo. remember, this weekend, she qualified for four individual events. there's no idea if she will compete in those. let's talk about the instagram posts. simone biles posting on instagram on her own account that she has a case of the twisties, she's not sure she can compete now, not recovered from the twisties and takes two to three weeks to get over them, when you can't perform, she says her mind and body are not in sync. no word on her status for the four individual events which begin this weekend. simone biles did post this on

her instagram page, the queen has arrived. suni lee, the new all-around champion in gymnastics, what a story this is, from tokyo to her home state of minnesota and yep, all the way back to the bay area. the hmong community in the spotlight. many from laos, this family in milpitas celebrating the first ever hmong olympian. >> i never thought that in our -- in my lifetime that i would be able to see someone of hmong descent receive a gold medal at the olympics. >> i love my family and the hmong community. i wouldn't be here without them. my coach as well. this medal is dedicated to them because without them, this dream wouldn't be possible. >> reporter: 18 years old. her life story is truly american. okay. here in tokyo, we bumped into one of our friends, one of the most famous people in america, and asked the question, what's

up? we have heat, we have humidity, and now we have typhoon conditions. what's up with the weather? al roker? >> when, you know, you put your head in the tiger's mouth the tiger bites it off, you're not angry at the tiger, be angry at yourself. when you put yourself in the middle of the pacific, during typhoon season, you get a typhoon, what are you going to do? it's just typhoon season being typhoon season. >> we've done a lot of these, what stands out about this one, obviously quarantine life, but what stands out? >> i just think it's about perseverance. athletes who persevered, didn't know if this would happen, delayed by a year, had to improvise and get here without family and friends and still certain hardships with the pandemic and the isolating and all that.

yet, still trying. i think it's a different olympics, but it doesn't make it any less real or any less -- in fact, in certain ways it's more impressive. >> well said by al roker. marcus and laura and kari and mike, we talk about the weather, speaking of al roker who will join us at 7:00, why am i wearing a little jacket here? as you know, the thunderstorms are in and out here of tokyo, but also the cicadas, the bugs are everywhere. i am fully in combat gear. covered. >> they don't really bite though? >> you don't want them crawling on you. >> and i heard there's some green bug. >> i'm scared of cicadas. i don't care if they bite or not. >> maybe there will be a surprise at your desk when you get back. >> totally. >> we'll have to see.

>> better zip it up a little. >> thanks, raj. boy, they are experiencing ha humidity. >> yeah. the humidity and the sound of the cicadas. >> look here. that's beautiful. this is the way we start our friday morning here in the bay area. now it is gorgeous as we await the sun to come over the hills, we've got about a few more minutes before we start to see it peeking over the fog. as we're heading out today we still have a wide range in temperatures with some upper 60s near the coast and upper 90s for the inland areas. we'll talk about what's ahead coming up in a few minutes. mike, you're watching a crash, what's going on with that? >> we have another crash i believe over in hayward. there was slowing in both directions right around hennesen. there was a crash northbound approaching, southbound

approaching, both i think have cleared because the last three minutes it has seen speed sensors go back to green. throughout the tri-valley your travel times and we're still at what we expect to see for the early morning with very little slowing outside of the altamont pass. vasco road a little slowing. that fire, though, never ended up being anything other than the brush. highway 4 smooth, slowing through pittsburgh and maybe bay point. back to you. >> thanks so much. 6:12. extra fees, coming up on "today in the bay," the new lawsuit filed against grubhub. why the delivery service is being accused of taking advantage of struggling restaurants and the company's response. >> a peninsula company debuts on the stock market and lands with a thud. let's take you out to the stock market. and the futures looks like we're going to lose some on the dow and the others come this open. plus -- ♪♪ ♪ far from the shallow now ♪

>> she's far from the shallow now. her first film since "a star is born" a trailer for lady gaga's movie release is out. let's just say, it is definitely a story about a bad romance. oh, boy. first want to talk about that the latest count on the medals at the olympics. team usa still in first with a total of 41. china is second with 38. ♪♪ russia olympic committee is in third with 34 medals. first look straight ahead for you and stay with uggs right here on "today in the bay." it is 6:13.

♪ (v(vo) with a all-day holold and painie reremoval.

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happy friday. let's check out walnut creek as you're stepping out the door, 60 degrees and it's mostly clear as the sun rises this morning. it's going to heat up fast. by lunch time we're in the low 80s. it's going to be a hot day but what about the weekend. we'll talk about that coming up in a few minutes. >> 880 looks great. smooth flow of traffic. well populated. we'll show you where things are starting to slow down a tad bit and more coming up. good morning. happy friday. like watching a college football game where you're sure you're going to win and at the last second team coronavirus pulls ahead. uber the latest bay area company

to delay back to the office as the delta variant spreads. uber now saying late october. it will make vaccinations mandatory for employees. companies can do that and ask for proof. it is not a hippa violation. earlier this week google and facebook would demand their employees get vaccinated. twitter has closed its san francisco and new york offices. they opened them up 17 days ago. today is the last trading day of july. yesterday we got the gdp numbers showing our economy had recovered to pre-pandemic levels in record time, but the growth was still not as big as economists had expected. the peninsula's robinhood debuted on the nasdaq yesterday and shares fell, very rare for a company to do that after its ipo, opening at 38 and ending at 34 and change. the worst debut for a company its size ever. robinhood helped take everyday

traders make quick trades. when it came time for the same people to buy robinhood they did not. nuralink, one of the companies elon musk created, raised $205 million in investment trading. they're working to link the brain wirelessly to computers. they've accomplished that with a monkey playing pong, moving the paddles with his mind. the tube has nothing to do with the game. it's a banana smoothie, apparently pong gets boring after a while and you have to encourage someone -- >> like a teenager. >> that's our future, yes. and our present. >> the monkey playing pong. only on "today in the bay." thanks so much. new this morning, grubhub facing a lawsuit, accused of overcharging restaurants in the height of the pandemic. the massachusetts attorney general says the company violated a temporary 15% cap on

fees by charging 18% or more on the price of online orders. she's asking a judge to fine the company $5,000 for each alleged incident. grubhub is denying the allegations. disney says there's no merit to a new lawsuit filed by scarlet johansson, so the star of black widow alleged the company breached its company. disney says it complied with johansson's contract and the release on disney plus significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation. that's on top of the $20 million that she was already paid. johansson worked out a back-end deal tied to box offices gross. the next story is going to make all of you a little monsters out there very happy. >> the new trailer for lady gaga's movie is out and two words, it's intense. >> i don't consider myself to be a particularly ethical person.

but i am fair. >> oh. so intense. >> "house of gucci" based on the story of the assassination of the former brand gucci. lady gaga plays a person convicted of the murder and served 16 years in prison. os core nominee adam driver portrays her ex-husband. it's set to hit theaters november 24th. >> he did it. the son of darth vader. >> oh, different -- >> different movie. >> and he just plays the ex-husband. >> got it. >> i'll watch. >> all right. >> look at that forecast for you today. kari, how is it looking out there? >> looks pretty good around the bay area as we're waking up to fog, low clouds near the coast and above the fog to see what it looks like around sunrise. in san francisco you're looking up like it's just gray. this is above the fog as we have

seen beautiful sunrises with a little bit of some smoke mixed in too. as we look at what's going on, as the wildfires continue, our drought continues to expand as well. here's the update on our drought monitor across the west where you see the darker shades of red, the highest level of drought, exceptional category and almost half of california is in that exceptional drought, and about 88% of the state is a step down from extreme or higher, so we're really digging deep with that drought. unfortunately hot temperatures will continue in the inland areas as we reach into the mid 90s, even some upper 90s for brentwood, but near the coast what's been helping us out, the fog, bringing in that higher humidity and also slowing the spread of any fires that do get going that we've seen in some of our parched vegetation. temperatures over the weekend head into the upper 80s and low 90s, cooler compared to what we've had throughout the week and san francisco, still keeping the fog and highs in the upper

60s with some breezy winds. mike, what's the update on that fire off of vasco road. >> you have to look over in that area. overall the commute is great but we have an issue, critical connecter for vasco into and out of brentwood. by discovery bay. traveling counter to the commute, north through the area, there is a low sure. temporary and intermittent, the roadside fire spreading into the brush. fire crews are on scene and they've shut down the northbound lanes. the fire must be on this side of the roadway, toward 580 traffic moving smoothly. now slowing through concord and we'll send it back to you. >> thanks so much. next here on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> yeah. marcus and laura, i have a weekend chore for you. you need a list of everything in your home or apartment. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura we'll explain why and how to do it during our wildfire checkup. that's next. >> digital correspondent abby fernandez checking in with raj throughout the olympics. you can catch it all on nbcbayarea.com.

this unplulugged devicice is p protectingg our bebeautiful cocoastlines and morere. put off chchores and use leless energyy from 4 4 to 9 pm toto help keepep our ststate goldenen. welcome back. 6:25. this week our consumer team has been really sharing savvy advice about wildfires. >> that's right. consumer investigator chris chmura has some help for both homeowners and renters, really all of us. this could save a lot of money. >> i'm a broken record. sorry. i'm unapologetic about this. everyone who has a homeowners or renters insurance policy needs to do a home inventory. make a list of everything you

own, pull out your phone and shoot a little video of it all. >> this is what i have. a pile of ash. >> many people whose homes burned in 2017 will tell you insurance companies didn't pay rebuilding money until they provided an item by item list of what burned. >> they want every thing you had, cup and saucer, and spoon and fork. >> reporter: often came up short of a full payout. >> if you lost everything there's no way you're going to remember everything you have. >> reporter: nicolle with the american property insurance association says you can avoid that frustration after a fire by doing a home inventory now. use your smartphone and record from room to room. open every closet and drawer. she says, there's more reason than ever to do a home inventory today. >> we forget the stuff we have and we have more because we've been stuck at home for a year. just make a home video because it just will make recovery so much easier. >> many insurance companies have step by step instructions on their websites. free apps are available too.

we found a north bay start-up that will do it for a fee based on your home or apartment size. >> you can do an inventory yourself. free. seriously. just a few minutes writing down and recording your belongings could save you hours later and possibly get you closer to a full payout. just be sure you store that inventory some place safe, ideally some place other than your home, some place like the cloud. we go to battle with insurance companies all the time for viewers like you. let us know if you have a dispute, go to nbcbayarea.com and click the response option in the main menu. >> we have the video showing our things but do we with need receipts as well? of course they do. the good news these days we do so much online a lot of those receipts are right there in your accounts and if you don't have those dot same thing. take pictures of receipts and upload them to the clouds and save them there for the dark day. >> be organized. >> hopefully never comes. >> exactly. thanks.

>> have a good weekend. >> you too. next here on "today in the bay," the top stories we're following including masking up. another county joining california's growing list of those issuing new mandates. this outside the bay area. plus -- >> and could a booster shot be in your future? coming up on "today in the bay" we'll introduce you to the drugmaker currently testing the effectiveness of a third vaccine. you're watching "today in the bay."

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right now at 6:30, spreading like chicken pox, a report finds the covid delta variant may be more contagious than first thought. details ahead on new data expected today raising big concerns about a severity. also a live report on the action hospitals are taking as they prepare for a surge in new cases. i'm not quite sure we're ready to say that we need boosters at this moment. >> will you need a booster shot? it turns out some people are already getting them. what experts and the test subjects are saying. possible criminal charges, this morning pg&e responds to allegations surrounding a deadly 2020 wildfire. this is "today in the bay." >> welcome to friday among. thank so much for starting your morning with us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. i want to take a look at your commute in a bit, but look we have to start with this. a live look outside for you and

this is friday morning in the bay area. sun shining bright on this friday morning. meteorologist kari hall tracking the weekend forecast. i know you love these sunrises in the morning. >> yes. take a look at this one in san jose. we know that it's beautiful to look at, but a lot of times it's because we have a lot of smoke drifting by with the fires that are burning across the state. but our air quality near the surface will improve and our temperatures will start out in the low 60s in the south bay, headed towards the low 80s by 1:00. it's going to heat up fast as our temperatures today in the south bay reach the mid 80s, as hot as 99 in brentwood. a look ahead to the weekend forecast that's coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you so much. this morning a new phase in the war against covid. a bombshell report suggesting the delta variant is as contagious and deadlier than chicken pox. an internal cdc document obtained by "the washington post" states we must acknowledge

the war has changed. here's what the document reveals. infections of the delta variant may lead to more severe illness and spread by vaccinated people as easily as unvaccinated. those who are vaccinated are three times less likely to catch covid-19 and ten times less likely to die from it than those unvaccinated. something important here, the cdc still says vaccines remain effective and prevent hospitalization and deaths, but the cdc says in the report the vaccine works better than the original strain. i want to bring in "today in the bay's" bob redell live in san ramon. you sifted through the state data overnight and what does it show? >> we've seen a spike in a number of hospitalizations state wide over the past couple weeks. here are the latest numbers. in the state of california already over 3600 people who are

hospitalized with covid. that's an increase of about 108% from two weeks ago. if you break it down by counties in the bay area, alameda leads with 160 patients, contra costa county with 126, santa clara with 86, followed by solano, sonoma, san mateo, napa, marin with 7 hospitalizations. up north in sacramento, mercy general hospital has set up a surge tent outside their building in case they are overwhelmed with another spike of covid patients and have tents to test patients who are about to undergo an operation for covid in an effort to reduce exposure to other patients inside the building. the pandemic is taking its toll on health care providers. >> think it's easier for us? no. this is a pandemic i've never seen. i've been a nurse for 41 years, been through aids and ebola, but this has really taken a toll on everybody.

nurses, physicians, we are all exhausted. >> reporter: while over 61% of californians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, the rate of vaccination is starting to slow and nine percentage points short of 70%, being the magic number that doctors and scientists believe we need to achieve in order to achieve herd immunity. reporting live in san ramon, bob redell, "today in the bay." the delta variant surge is raising another question this morning. will another booster shot be needed? "today in the bay"s a cierra johnson live in san francisco with that part of the story. cierra? >> yeah. good morning, marcus. that's exactly right. some of the same folks that took part in the pfizer vaccine heading back to the lab to take part in a clinical trial about the effectiveness of a third vaccine. this week the drugmaker pfizer believes a third dose is needed

to keep protection of the virus high. the company also said it could apply for emergency authorization for booster shots as early as august. nbc bay area spoke with one participant in the latest study who explained part of the clinical trial process. >> they tested me for covid and took blood, did blood work and told me, you know, we're going to give you a jab in the arm. it might be the real thing or a placebo. >> reporter: and as clinical trials are under way in the state, israel is preparing to administer the pfizer vaccine this sunday. folks 60 and older will be the first group to receive that booster. this is the first government to give the booster to help stop the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. we did have a chance to speak with a physician at stanford about when she felt the booster shot was scientifically necessary. she says there needs to be more data on when that time comes but did stress right now getting

that initial vaccine, that is available, is the best way of keeping perfectly healthy folks out of the emergency room. we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." 6:36. sacramento county joining l.a. and yolo counties in mandating masks indoors regardless of your vaccination status. the county says case rates continue to climb due to the delta variant. in sacramento county just under half of all people are fully vaccinated, well below the 62% statewide average. eight of the nine bay area counties recommend masking indoors. so far san francisco and berkeley have said they are considering a mandate. new this morning, students in palo alto who opt out of in-person learning this fall will have the opportunity to do an independent study program. according to palo alto online the district says those students will not be taught by district teachers. instead, it will be a third-party education service. next week the board will approve a contract with stride learning solutions, which provides

customized online learning for all grade levels. and pg&e is warning investors he about potential financial losses from the dixie wildfire now burning in butte and plumas counties. the utility still hopeful insurance covers the potential costs. the warning is part of the sec filing that is still far from being resolved. the fire has burned more than 220,000 acres, destroying at least 40 structures. the cause of the fire still under investigation. 6:38. taking a peek outside. a foggy start across san francisco this morning. end of july. it always surprises the tourists when they come in a little bit though. >> if you're going to the giants game this evening, you need to wear a coat, you know, maybe a hat, scarf, all of that stuff because it's going to be chilly. >> all orange and black. >> absolutely. you better make sure that it's orange and black. and we're going to see our temperatures at first pitch at

about 63 degrees dropping down to the upper 50s heading into the night. if you're going to muir woods you probably still need a jacket there too. we're looking at highs in the low 60s for the next few days. clouds, fog, breezy winds, great for hiking. if you're going to the sierra have a way to get weather alerts because we'll have pop-up showers and thunderstorms moving through. temperatures not bad, though, but we will at times see some storms rolling through those areas. and then checking out paso robles highs in the low 90s. upper 80s for sudden. for the beach forecast, 60s and low 70s. mike, you're watching a problem in contra costa county. >> that's right. heat really the only problem but it is pretty important for folks who are traveling counter commute. the commute, the bay bridge toll plaza gives you an idea of how light our friday drive is. westbound typical direction for slowing has mild slowing in your usual spots. definitely much less than monday through thursday. a big problem is if you're traveling from 580 up into byron, into the discovery bay

and brentwood we cannot access that portion. this entire stretch of vasco is not closed. it's only closed around the caves, but we do have the closure which cuts the portion off from the northbound drive. get over to byron highway or travel all the way around to 680. might want to hang out in livermore and find a place to get breakfast. the fire crews are addressing a hillside brush fire. nothing major but an issue for safety. we'll check your drive but everything is clear so far. back to you. >> thanks, mike. something you were talking about this morning, new overnight all lanes on interstate 880 back open in hayward. this is after that deadly hit and run. it happened before 3:00 a.m. on the southbound lanes. this is near winton avenue. at least two vehicles were involved. it's not clear how the person died. chp still hasn't released a description of the vehicle they're looking for. facing a key deadline. the debate on capitol hill over extend an eviction moratorium. as the clock ticks down,

millions are in jeopardy. 648 americans died of covid yesterday. president biden says that is an american tragedy. first, even when we are not on air, our olympics coverage continues online. follow all our bay area athletes by heading over to nbcbayarea.com. we have the athlete tracker on our trending bar. a lot more news ahead for you this morning as you're watching "today in the bay."

who coululd have knonown that e righght food could hehelp your nenew fried liveve their besest life or givive your oldld friend new w energy or that ththe smallestst changs could mamake the bigiggest imp. you didid. and so d did we. ththat's whwhy hill's always s s wiwith a pet''s biologogy to antnticipate ththeir everer-changing g nutritionanals for difffferences yoyou can s, feel a and trust so you're always s a step aheh. it's 6:43.

it's friday. we have some great weather for you even though we're starting out hazy. the live look outside in dublin, low 60s as we go into today. it's still going to heat up. we'll talk about the weekend coming up in a few minutes. >> that means today is friday, light traffic, but a problem conducts off contra costa county from alameda county drivers. vasco and the options you have, as you track any hillside fires in the area. >> 6:44. now to a story quickly developing sending shockwaves across the country. a cdc report says the covid delta variant is more contagious than the common cold, even among vaccinated people. >> we want to get to "today in the bay's" kris sanchez with what that report says about covid vaccines. >> vaccines still the key to avoid dying from covid and the key it avoid spreading the virus. according to ucsf's top doctor, let's start with what that cdc report says, it says the delta

variant is more contagious but more contagious than chicken pox and ebola. this is new, the viral load is the same in infected vaccinated people as people who are unvaccinated. meaning, vaccinated people can still be contagious. "the new england journal of medicine" found that breakthrough cases are mild, but those symptoms can linger beyond six weeks. ucsf's dr. bob told our colleague that that does not mean that vaccine is pointless. >> concerned about the number of people who are fully vaccinated who are in most part not the ones in the hospital who are getting very sick. the vaccines are still working, extraordinarily well, in preventing infections, but also particularly preventing them from getting very sick. >> reporter: the doctor says that there was one covid patient at ucsf at the beginning of

june. fast forward to this week, 38 people including 15 who were in the icu, some of whom he says he doesn't expect will survive. he also says that perhaps it's time to force people who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated, in order to protect people who cannot like our children under the age of 12. i was just at the store the other day and heard a young woman saying if we have to wear masks again what's the point of getting a vaccine. what a waste of time. to reiterate, you will not end up in the hospital likely and you will not be as sick. >> if you get it. >> if you get the vaccine. there is a reason to get the vaccine. maybe shift our thinking to protecting ourselves rather than whether or not we're contagious. >> protecting others. >> well, but if you are still contagious as a vaccinated person then you just protect yourself. right. >> at least. >> thank you, kris. meantime president biden and the pentagon talking about how to best protect american forces from coronavirus.

>> every soldier, sailor, airman knows is part of the deal, the d.o.d. can require vaccinations, even vaccinations that don't have full approval of the fda. he's not requiring other federal workers to get the vaccine. there is no mandate. though federal workers will be required to declare their status. if they're not vaccinated or decline to state, they will have to mask up. this is fundamentally no different than what cal osha requires every working californian to do. >> this is an american tragedy. people are dying and will die who don't have to die. if you're out there unvaccinated, you don't have to die. this is not about red states and blue states. it's literally about life and death. it's about life and death. that's what it's about. >> it is a red and blue issue if you look at a map. red states are behind. a raents "washington post"/abc

poll shows 86% of registered democrats have received one shot of a vaccine compared with 45% of republicans. the party is reacting with concern. mitch mcconnell has been outspoken encouraging americans to get vaccinated but bottom line, we are moving backwards because of the americans who refuse to get vaccinated. we were close. 26 days ago, the white house celebrated what it hoped was independence from covid. >> this year, the fourth of july, is a day of special celebration for we are emerging from the darkness of years -- a year of pandemic and isolation, a year of pain, fear, and heartbreaking loss. >> now there's some good news on this friday. a vote on infrastructure scheduled for today. these are procedural but also very bipartisan. republicans and democrats working together on something that republicans and democrats

had created together. president biden spent decades in the senate remember. he's been working to bring those two parties closer together. in this case anyway, it's working. quick update on the first lady, she stepped on something on the beach in hawaii. whatever it was, it was in her foot for days. she stopped by walter reed and got it taken care of and doctors say she's going to be fine. they'll head to camp david after the president meets with some cuban community leaders. we'll talk about that on twitter. find me there @scott mcgrew. >> happening tomorrow the national rent moratorium is set to expire leaving the fate of millions of struggling americans up in the air. democrats in congress are racing to extend the moratorium for a fourth time. however, the house is set to go on a summer recess tonight. california is already extended its state moratorium until the end of september. some people trying to make it in the bay are receiving major buyouts.

the chronicle is reporting one renter in pra seedo heights set a record for the largest ever tenant buyout. $475,000. now the renter lived in a rent controlled seven bedroom apartment for over 30 years. >> wow. >> dub nation today will have the first chance to meet their future star. last night the nba draft was held with the seventh pick for the warriors chose 18-year-old jonathan kuminga. they grabbed moses moody with the 14th selection. the team will hold an introductory event outside the chase center. heading outside what is the weather going to be like? >> it's a good one. we're starting out with a beautiful sunrise over the south bay. you're probably looking out the window like what's all this orange coming through. and, you know, this is kind of the sight we had last year in august. are these fires getting worse? what's happening here is that a lot of this smoke is a little bit higher up in the atmosphere. it's not really affecting our

near surface air quality. we are still pretty good here, at least for the south bay and santa clara valley. moderate air quality for the north bay, the bay and coast, and east bay. it's just above that 50 threshold we look for as far as how much smoke is in the air. our temperatures will be warming up today into the upper 80s, low 90s. even as high as 97 in antioch today. oakland, some low 70s there. we have some low 80s in palo alto and in san francisco low to mid 60s. up to 103 still hot in ukiah. novato reaching 86. fur traveling this weekend to the sierra heads up we could see pop-up showers and thunderstorms and that chance diminishes as we go into next week as the high pressure moves away. we'll have slightly cooler temperatures but the thunderstorms may trigger flash flooding so have a way to get some weather alerts as we could see some of the rain moving through the areas. this is the outlook for rain and where it will be happening once again for parts of the central

and southern sierra. our temperatures will come down a few more degrees going into the weekend for our inland valleys. we'll see that pattern holding into next week. mike, you give us an update on the fire fight in contra costa county. >> i'm getting my updates through chp because they also had the northbound side of vasco road closed before you get to the caves regional park there. i got word the fire is out on the brush. there was a grass fire there. it's out and should be reopening the lanes any second. the commute coming down it 580 is clear. folks were held up probably in livermore but that's the only hold up around the bay. it's friday and light. back to you. >> all right. thanks so much. 6:52. happening now, another bay area city looking to make its outdoor dining parklets permanent. walnut creek leaders are considering extending their plans past the end of the year. council members approved extending parklets through december and the majority says a new survey found more than 8 in 10 wanted to make the outdoor dining spaces permanent. a look at the top stories

including raging out of control, the high-level meeting governor newsom is set to have with president biden on attacking california's wildfires. raj mathai is live in tokyo this morning. >> are you ready to wake up on this friday morning two dramatic story lines and events that ended in tokyo. this is a spoiler alert. we will tell you about them next. stay with us.

6:5. welcome back. before you head out the tore we're moving you forward. >> the new delta variant is set to be as contagious as chicken pox. that's according to the cdc as hospitalizations start to surge. we sifted through the new state data showing where the most people are hospitalized in the bay area. the most hospitalizations are in alameda and contra costa county, santa clara and san francisco counties. at bottom of the list, marin, napa and san mateo. today president biden and vice president kamala harris will meet with western governors to discuss the response to wildfires. president biden led a similar meeting one month ago. gavin newsom will be among those taking part in today's conference along with governors offer gone, washington and idaho. a big time alert out of tokyo. it was a do or die for team

usa's women's soccer team. >> raj mathai live in soccer. what's the verdict on this one? >> i am sweating and it's not because of the humidity. what a game this was. just a few minutes ago it ended, one of the most dramatic finishes in years. the women's soccer team beat the netherlands on penalty kicks. megan rapinoe was the difference maker. soccer advances to the semifinals. it was a close game. also just a short while ago, the world's number one ranked tennis player novak djokovic is out. the serbian loses to his german opponent. to ryan murphy who lives and trains in berkeley, causing a stir here in tokyo and around the world, about doping. ryan murphy tells us, i'm swimming in a race that's probably not clean. >> i do believe there's doping in swimming. i am training to be the absolute

best athlete i can be, and so i don't have time to get involved in this situation. but there is a situation and that's -- like that's a problem. >> that's a problem. ryan murphy saying this after he finished second in the 200 meter backstroke winning a silver medal behind yevgeny rylov who won gold. it's almost 7:00, 15, 20 yards to my left is our buddy. take a look. >> the "today" show starts at 7:00 a.m. on nbc bay area coming up next. >> right now, come on, where are you going? there's nothing else to do. sit there and watch us in the bay area. it's fantastic. as that fog rolls in. it's the best.

>> the eye movement is what's classic about that. take it away. our friend al roker getting ready to go on the "today" show a few minutes from now, a couple doors down from me in tokyo. take it away. >> love it. >> how cool is that. raj mathai, you've got the best assignment. thanks. >> have a great weekend. >> looks pretty good here as he mentioned, the fog rolling in near the coast but the inland valleys hot today reaching into the mid 90s. a little bit cooler for the weekend while san francisco is at that cool 67 for a high today. >> heat, worried about fire. there is a grass fire clearing up vasco road just opened seconds ago, northbound. they did take care of the grass fire. there's the bay bridge, that's great news. >> that is. >> yeah. >> friday. >> yeah. everybody watching raj and al. >> we love it. and all your olympic action catch here on nbc bay area and, of course, online as well. we're going to leave you with a gorgeous sunrise this morning.

>> makes you want to take a nap in the clouds. that does it for us friday morning. we're coming back at 7:25 with an update. have a great weekend and enjoy it if you can. mask up if you're out around people. the "today" show is next. ♪ suni shines. >> oh. >> baby. >> with an unforgettable performance, gymnast suni lee becomes the breakout star of the tokyo olympics olympic all-around gold medal. >> an emotional and unexpected victory. >> i mean, this is a crazy experience like, this doesn't even feel like real life >> and this morning, we've got the golden girl herself, here, live breaking overnight, cdc stunner. the internal document leaked online, saying the delta variant