never eat during its adult lifetime. experts say they're just there to reproduce. facts for you. you dont have to make it dinner. i want to say that's the second time in recent years one has come ashore. >> i feel like we have done a story like that before. >> i never knew it was a real fish. but now you know. >> we see its teeth and its smile. a face a mother could love. all right. here we go. 6:00 for you this morning. well, this one, another night of chaos for those stores across the bay area. >> you build this thing with your hands literally, so this is our baby, and so just to see it violated is just -- it's crazy. >> and big retail or luxury stores are not the only victims here. we're learning of small businesses hit. ahead in a live report for you, the latest targets and some of the first consequences coming for those suspects. >> plus, president biden promising relief when it comes to high gas prices. ahead, a closer look at how long

it may take to see some of the prices drop at the pump. this is today in the bay. and a good morning to you on this wednesday. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. holiday travel rush, it's under way right now. taking a live look at sfo this morning. it is expected to be one of the busiest days this week. >> yeah, it's not just airports, too. the roadways will be busy as well. mike will have a look at the commute for you in a second, but let's talk about the forecast for you. meteorologist kari hall has that. >> we're heading out and hubbing our hands together and turning the heat on in the car. temperatures in the low 40s from san jose to morgan hill. we're mostly seeing 40s as you're heading out, and it's 39 in antioch right now. our temperatures are going to slowly warm up with sunshine for today. it will still be on the cool side, but very much like yesterday, and even frost in some spots in the inland valleys. we're watching out for that, but then we have a pleasant day

ahead. we'll talk about your thanksgiving forecast for dinner or whatever you plan to do. mike, you're looking at the commute kicking in. >> look at the bay bridge toll plaza. this is the wednesday before thanksgiving. the metering lights are on, they have been turned on since just before 6:00. we have no backup here. mild slowing on the incline and at the metering lights. that's about it. the metering lights are the reason we have slowing there. so the morning commute will be lighter, but then as marcus talked about, there will be a lot of traffic on the roadway late morning, early afternoon, getting out of town will be crowded, coming through town as well. we'll talk about it timing coming up. >> thank you, mike. >> some of the first legal fallout tied to the recent retail robberies plaguing the bay area. suspects in a series of those smash and grabs are expected to appear in court in san francisco. today in the bay's bob redell live for us in walnut creek this morning. this is another area targeted by the thieves, and unfortunately, more bay area businesses

targeted just last night. >> yes, in the south bay. good morning to you, marcus. we're talking about at valley fair mall, a group of thieves hit the macy's women's store there. san jose police say four men stole $2,000 roughly worth of merchandise from inside that department store. police were able to catch two of the suspects who will be booked or were booked on felony charges of burglary and grand theft. the other two got away. and in downtown oakland, we have new video of a hit that took place monday night. a mob of thieves hit a mom and pop business. as you can see in the store security camera video from the prime 356 clothing store, at least 30 people rushed in can cleared them out of their inventory. the store owners tell us this is the second time they have been robbed in a month at a cost so far of about $180,000. in a news conference yesterday, san francisco district attorney chasea budean announced he would formally file felony charges

against nine people arrested friday night for robbing the louis vuitton store in san francisco, a cannabis dispensary, and a walgreens. he said that kind of behavior won't be tolerated and people will be punished. the san francisco police officers association, however, says it will be following these cases closely to make sure budean keeps his word. he's also facing a recall for not being tough on crime, according to critics. >> and unfortunately, chasea has a track record of offering extremely lenient plea deals to repeat and chronic offenders that allow them to be released with little to no consequences. >> and you will face serious consequences when you commit serious crimes in our city. >> yesterday, bay area prosecutors announced a new alliance aimed at combatting retail theft. the district attorneys from alameda, contra costa, marin, santa clara, san francisco, san joaquin, and san mateo counties

say this partnership will allow them to better share information and successfully prosecute anyone involved in the mob thefts. reporting live, bob redell, today in the bay. >> thank you. we know that the crime plaguing san francisco and other bay area cities, it is something a lot of people are talking about. it's actually the top story on our web side. you can visit nbcbayarea.com for the latest on the arrests made as well as a timeline of exactly when and where all of those smash and grabs happen. >> happening today, san francisco police hold a virtual town hall in response to a deadly police shooting. the shooting happened last friday inside a residential hotel south of market at fifth and fulsome. police later said the suspect was armed with a knife. since then, he's been identified. but so far, police have provided few detais about his history or what may have prompted officers to open fire. >> authorities in the north bay are hoping you have seen this man. take a look at your screen.

he's identified as steven perez. police say he rammed two patrol cars sunday after stealing a car. neither of the officers were injured but a $2500 reward is now being offered for information leading to an arrest. he is considered dangerous, so if you do see him, you're asked to call 911. >> a live look at the roads this thanksgiving eve. later today, the chp starts its maximum holiday enforcement period and it will remain in effect through midnight on sunday. so we hope you play it safe out there on the roads. so with so many of us getting ready to drive somewhere to see loved ones, we're also facing the stark reality. everybody is talking about the highest gas prices we have seen in years. that's why president biden took action yesterday to try to give americans some relief. chris pollone joins us live from washington this morning. we like the fix that's coming, although we're not going to see it immediately at the pumps, chris. >> yeah, it would have been nice if it was in state for today because we have about 50 million

americans who are going to hit the road for this long holiday weekend. president biden says some relief for those high price -- high gas prices are coming, but for many, it's not soon enough. if you have driven a car recently, you know. >> it's high. what we can do? >> the average gallon of gas is up about $1.30 over last thanksgiving when many of us stayed home because of the pandemic. before heading to massachusetts to celebrate with his family, president biden took an unusual step to try to provide drivers some relief. >> it will take time, but before long, you should see the price of gas drop where you fill up your tank. >> he ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve, hoping to force opec to pump more oil to meet worldwide demand. >> this is really a game of chess against opec and other oil producing nations. >> analysts and critics say any

effect on prices will take some time and will likely be minimal. >> this is happening globally, so until things kind of settle down, until oil production can catch up, we're going to be digging deeper when we fill our tanks. >> while relief at the pump might be hard to come by, the predsays things should be improving as people look for their favorite goods and gifts at stores from coast to coast. >> in the past least weeks, the number of containers sitting on docks blocking movement are down by 33%. shipping prices are down 25%. more goods are moving more quickly, and more cheaply, out of our ports, onto your doorsteps and store shelves. >> the challenges of getting back to normal as the world emerges from the pandemic. several congressional republicans have criticized the president for tapping that strategic petroleum reserve in a non-emergency time. one called the move nothing but a gesture. live in washington, i'm chris

pollone. laura, back to you. >> thanks so much. happening now, a nasa spacecraft on a collision course, headed towards annast right millions of miles away. >> and lift-off of the falcon 9 and dart. >> okay, so the unmanned spacecraft is called dart, this is for double asteroid redirected test. last night, it lifted off from vandenberg space force base on the central coast, and if all goes well, in about ten months, it will slam head on into an asteroid which poses no threat to earth. so the idea here is to test to see if it is possible to knock a speeding space rock off its course if ever threatened. >> this is the first time spacex has taken a nasa spacecraft and intentionally launched it on a trajectory to escape earth and crash into an asteroid, so again, pretty cool mission. very excited to be a part of it. >> it is pretty cool.

but if that ever should happen, no smiles. the spacecraft will travel more than 6.5 million miles colliding at 15,000 miles per hour. >> pretty amazing. >> i used to do something like that back in the '80s. it was called game asteroid. >> oh, yeah. >> i remember that. >> at least you didn't say marbles. >> back on earth, going to get a look at the forecast for you as you head out. meteorologist kari hall tracking that. a beautiful shot of downtown san jose. >> we're also starting out all clear, as we see the fog kind of clearing out and looking at san jose, it's 50 degrees right now. it will cool off a few more degrees as we approach sunrise and see those temperatures headed back up. in the mid 60s again today, reaching 65 degrees. we're watching to see if we get frost in some of the north bay and east bay valleys. it's going to be a really nice day. we'll talk about the weekend as

well as the holiday. you have a light start to a busy travel day. >> you mentioned holiday. it has been lightening up since this time last week. and we have only metering lights on, and no real backup, only the backup because of the metering lights. south bay cleared up, pwe should see slowing, but no problem. 101 through san martin, light slowing. if you're traveling down to southern california, i-5 looks great. no weather warnings, just a little wind heading over the grapevine. to or through the central valley, a smooth drive, but we'll talk about the trains coming into the area. >> thanks, mike. >> coming up next on today in the bay, bay area wine makers getting attention, but it's not for the taste of their wines. instead, it's the problems tied to the ongoing shipping backlog. coming up, the unexpected crush they never expected during the crucial holiday season. >> the head of the nation's or

one of the nation's largest banks puts his foot in his mouth. let's take you to the futures. we continue to get very good news about the economy, but wall street not ready to react to that. they're fearing interest rate hikes. >> plus, what do harry potter, batman, and the terminator have in common? a very pricey wardrobe. we'll tell you the rare movie set props that you can actually soon get your hands on and just how much they're going to set you back. >> and sinking buildings in san francisco. impacting our fault lines. could it contribute to our next big earthquake? we dig deep on a looming problem. you can find full details online at nbcbayarea.com. 6:12 right now. we'll be right back.

good wednesday morning. we're coming up on 6:15, and as the sun rises, we can see a clear view of the road and what's ahead for today in oakland. we're starting out chilly with temperatures in the mid-40s. we'll have a nice day ahead, going to 58 degrees at 10:00. we'll talk about what's ahead and if we'll warm up in a few minutes. >> and all that traffic in the shot does show the reason why the metering lights are turned on but the effect not a big impact on the toll plaza at the bay bridge. a smooth drive and just a pause at the metering lights. i have a delay through the east bay, and something popped up for the south bay incident report as well. >> well, good morning. good wednesday to you as well. the head of chase bank has put his very fancy shoed foot in his

mouth. probably wishes he could take an insult back about china. jamie dimon was speaking at a conference, he said he thought chase bank would last longer than the chinese communist party. specifically bloomberg quotes him as saying the communist party is celebrating its 100th year, so is jpmorgan. and i'll make you a bet we last longer. chinese officials have not yet so far responded. >> we just got first-time jobless claims showing an amazing decrease. it's great news. 199,000 first-time claims. that's the lowest since 1969. i will tell you, data point after data point show us the economy's not just getting better, it's getting a lot better. inflation is still a huge issue, but remember the solution to that is higher interest rates. and they are coming. why? because the economy is getting better and better. nasa says it will delay the launch of the james webb telescope because somebody

nearly dropped it. nasa called it a sudden unplanned release of a clamp. doesn't seem to be any damage, after all, it was designed to survive a rocket launch but needs to be inspected. the webb telescope is ten times more powerful than the hubble telescope and promised to be amazing. few engineered in sunnyvale are thinking, oh, don't bring up the time we dropped the satellite, but we're going to put this in historical context, like the time they dropped the satellite. you can figure out what happened. the satellite was supposed to be bolted to the white thing on the left, they raised the white thing, and somebody didn't put the bolts in. i bet you're reading a lot about president biden on social media. the attempt to lower gas prices by releasing oil from the spr, and for the time, from the first time ever, the spr may be a subject of debate around the thanksgiving table tomorrow. first of all, don't debate fungible commodities at thanksgiving. that was my grandmother's rule. if you have to, we'll fact check those social media claims coming up in checks and balances so you

know what's true and what's not. >> let's just keep politics away from the thanksgiving table. >> just bring on the food. >> bring on the wine, but there's a sobering shortage hitting bay area wineries ahead of the holiday season. many are struggling to find glass bottles to fill their product. one livermore wine maker tells the "today" show he's crushed enough grapes to keep up with the high holiday demand, but the bottle backlog is keeping his wine in storage tanks and off store shelves. >> even now, if you can get imported glass, it's more expensive due to the shipping, due to the trucking. due to all of those issues, where a container used to cost $1500 to get it here from china, it's somewhere in the range of $10,000 to $12,000 per container now. >> quite a difference. you can watch the entire interview this morning on the "today" show. >> it's raining, you'll now have a chance to own your movie

magic. potter heads could win a real cape during the auction next month. it's expected to sell for more than $1,000. >> wow. >> maybe you always wanted to become batman. i know i did. that mask worn by michael keaton in batman also up for sale. and maybe terminator is more your thing. the jacket arnold schwarzenegger wore could be yours for an estimated $20,000. >> wow. >> icons and idols hollywood auction starts on december 2nd. that jacket would be kind of cool, but it would probably be too short for me, but definitely -- >> might stretch it out. >> i'm overthinking it. >> arnold schwarzenegger war it. >> the sleeves would be short, but that would be a cool jacket to have. >> i'm trying to get it for you. >> i'm going to wear all three at the same time. >> i'm going to give you $5 on it. what you do is up to you.

>> christmas is coming. first, we have to make it through thanksgiving. we're hoping for a good forecast, maybe getting a walk in before we put all the calories in. >> we're going to talk about that because you might want to sign up for the turkey trot and make it count for something. so we have a look at our airports, and if there's any delays across the country, if you're waiting for someone to come in or if you're about to head out, it's looking good. not a lot of strong weather systems going on for this thanksgiving, so we're looking at no travel delays across the country. for the major airports. let's get a look at, or maybe your drive this morning, heading to work or hitting the road. in the tri-valley, it's starting out cool, but you have to crank up the heater inside the vehicle because it's in the low 40s, and we'll have a really nice day. we'll go from heater to windows down and enjoying the sunshine today. our holiday forecast, for heading out for some of the hot spots around the bay area, we'll see temperatures staying in the 60s for the next few days. no major changes. so here's what i was talking about. you can sign up for the silicon

valley turkey trot. i posted the link. you can sign up, head out early tomorrow morning before you gobble up that turkey, and temperatures will be in the low 40s. if you like the milder weather, wait a little later into the morning and into the afternoon. we'll head for the low 60s. once again, across the region, things have been fairly quiet. we see showers farther off to theey, but we're also watching scattered showers that will be approaching the pacific northwest. but it's a very weak storm system and it does continue to weaken by the time it makes it to the bay area. we're still in for more dry weather. those storm systems will just fall apart before it can give us a chance of rain. here's a look at our seven-day forecast. temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. that continueinize to next week. for san francisco, not a big difference here. some low 60s and mid-60s for the weekend. mike, you were saying there's one train line advising about a delay. >> this continues since monday

night's crash. a crash on the tracks there between richmered and martinez. that will have still issues because of the debris from the crash there. capital corridor advises there will be a 30 or more minute delay. that could affect folks traveling to and from sacramento, and maybe they have vacation plans there. so note that we know about that delay. minor delays, a little slowing, i should say, this is better than your typical commute throughout contra costa county. no slowing through the south bay. back to you. >> next here on today in the bay, nbc bay area responds. >> straight off your car and on to the black market. catalytic converters are a hot commodity that can cost you thousands of dollars. i'm chris kimura, we're going under cover to see who's buying and how you can stop them, next.

good morning. we're going to show you photos from the handful of police raids we know about. cops have caught crooks with dozens of sawed off converters. detectives say they can steal six to eight a night, getting from $100 to $1,000 for each one. >> you just made $8,000. that's a lot more profitable than selling drugs and a whole lot less risk. >> he's buying all those stolen catalytic converters.

we borrowed a legitimate converter to test how easy it might be to sell. tonight at 11:00, see where we got cash offers. no questioned asked. you'll also hear why a top prosecutor says we can't arrest our way out of the problem. we'll share also a couple steps you can take right now to protect your car. viewers like you turned us on to this investigation. share your tips at nbcbayarea.com. click the responds option or call us, 888-996-tips. i'll join you again tonight at 11:00. >> thanks, chris. >> 6:twish right now. up next, the top stories we're following for you, including reducing your water usage. the new emergency declared in san francisco and how soon it may impact your water bill. plus -- >> it's one of the busiest travel days of the year. coming up, we'll break down just how many folks plan to hit the friendly skies here at sfo plus a protest planned for later today, how it could impede your travel plans. >> elizabeth holmes on the

witness stand. her surprising admission during testimony that some believe may have hurt her defense.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪

right now at 6:30, suddenly a new obstacle in the holiday travel rush with airport already busy, the protest that may complicate matters for people leaving today. >> plus, pain at the pump. how gas prices are affecting bay area commute for travelers. this is today in the bay.

>> first, a live look outside. the road to tahoe, that's high way 50. if you're planning on hitting the slopes for thanksgiving, you can tell, not a lot of snow up there. we'll have theliest blow to the ski season. we'll say we have to delay it for a bit. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. mike is going to get us through the commute coming up. what's going on this morning. kari hall has a look at what we can expect from the forecast. >> it's cold this morning. that's why your teeth are chattering right now. we're at 39 degrees in morgan hill. we dropped into the 30s here. and low 40s up around santa rosa. we are seeing temperatures wide ranging across the bay area. in pleasant hill, at 40 degrees as you're heading out the door, and we'll go from 40 and clear to some low 60s today. it's going to be a nice afternoon. but yes, jacket weather all

throughout today, and especially this morning as you're heading out. and mike, your timing should be different today. >> yeah, so they came, be sure to grab a jacket, and marcus is right, you can take time getting into the morning commute. here, the san mateo bridge is moving smoothly, but no brake tapping. nice easy lane change, both directions at speed there. and all around the bay, just a tiny bit of slowing for san jose, a tiny bit out of the altamont pass, and the metering lights are on, but only a little slower. we'll talk about getting out of town and what might be affected as far as the rails as well. >> it's one of the busiest days of the year in the airline industry. forget sheltering at home. air travel once again booming for the thanksgiving holiday. cierra johnson is live at sfo this morning. >> yeah, it sure is a big surge. we have been out here for about an hour and a half. there has been a steady stream

of folks coming into the airport, both regular traveler as well as ride share drivers driving in and circling back to pick up others. it's one of the busiest travel days of the year. if you have plans to head out to this airport or oakland or san jose, you won't be alone because aaa says they expect a lot more folks traveling than last year. just to give you an idea, 48.3 million people say they will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period, and many are still hitting the roads despite those high gas prices we have been seeing. to give you an idea of how big of a jump some airports are seeing in terms of travelers. let's take san jose. this time last year, they saw about 125,000 travelers during the holiday week rush. this year, they're expecting 400,000 during that same period. but here at sfo, as thousands make their way through the airport, hundreds of workers say they plan to protest demanding

affordable family health care. we're told those protesting include sfo cashiers, cooks, dishwashers, servers, and bartenders. some of those protesting are union workers who claim they're being kept part time so they don't meet insurance eligibility. some of the others are nonunion workers who say they're being intimidated into nonunionizing because it would require companies to provide family health care under the union's insurance plan. so we are working to get some type of response from sfo. if you are planning to come out to catch a flight or to pick someone up, keep in mind, one of the busiest travel days of the year, but also at 10:00, those expected to protest will be gathering outside so it may cause a little bit of congestion. we'll be here throughout the entire morning, letting you know how that protest goes, if it happens, and what the outcome is, but again, be sure to give yourself extra time if you're planning on traveling. live at sfo, cierra johnson for today in the bay. >> thanks. >> it's still too early to tell what kind of impact president

biden's oil reserve release plan will actually have on gas prices, but drivers everywhere are certainly hoping it will provide some relief. so here's a look at the chevron station on coleman. if you look closely to the right of your screen, you can see gas prices there $4.83 a gallon, and higher octane gas is going for closer to $5 a gallon. right now, the average across the bay area around $4.70. now, we just spoke with a driver about the pain of paying for that. >> too much, man. too much. $5 is a lot of money. i'm not driving nowhere. i stay home. >> stay at home, again, i'm with you. look, if you are getting ready to drive somewhere for thanksgiving, here's how much a trip would cost you, this is according to gas buddy. and this is if your car gets about 40 miles a gallon. if you're going from san jose to lake tahoe, roughly about $48. san francisco to los angeles, $82. and look at this, walnut creek

to palm springs going to set you back more than $100. >> staying right here, mr. marcus. prosecutors will have to wait until next week to cross-examine elizabeth holmes in her criminal fraud trial. this week's testimony wrapped up yesterday, due to the thanksgiving holiday. and for a third day, it continued with defense attorneys asking the theranos founder questions about the kaefl's failures. holmes took some of the responsibility, admitting she used logos for some of the pharmaceutical giants without permission. >> well, san francisco now declaring a water shortage emergency. the city's public utilities commission now asking all of its nearly 3 million customers to cut back water use by 10%. this is a voluntary request that goes into effect immediately. you're asked to cut back 10% of what you used from july of 2019 to june of 2020. but it also means your bill is going to go up. the commission issued a temporary drought surcharge.

the average customer will have to pay about $6 more per month starting in april. >> the sudden dry spell not helping those hoping to hit the slopes this thanksgiving weekend. sugar bowl is the latest resort this year to delay the start of its ski season. it was scheduled to start on friday, but the weather is not cooperating. heavenly, north star, and palisades tahoe are among the resorts that are closed for the time being. we have a little opening at halloween. that was it. >> go, go, no, no. but look, if you are sticking around the bay area, look at this beautiful shot. golden gate bridge and the traffic smoothly running this morning. a look at traffic in just a bit, but first, the forecast for us and a chilly start this morning. >> yes, very cold in a lot of parts of the bay area, we're waking up to temperatures in the 30s and 40s, and we'll see those temperatures in the mid-40s for the next hour or so in san jose. then going into the low to mid-50s, you can see the trend. it will shape up to be a mild day as we continue on with

sunshine in our forecast. if you'll be heading out and about taking family and showing them around the bay area, you'll see temperatures that will reach into the low to mid-60s, whether you're in san francisco, oakland, or santa rosa. we'll talk about what's ahead coming up. you have train riders delayed for the morning commute. >> the statement issued by capitol corridor continues because of the damage and debris after the overnight crash on monday night, between san pablo between the richmond and martinez stations. expect delays in the sacramento area and bay area. that might affect folks planning to use the rails. you can still use them to get away for your vacation, just will be delayed through this one portion. light traffic where the arrows are, typical patterns but lighter flow. the metering lights don't yield a backup. traffic smooth through the altamont pass. northbound 101 past oakland

road, pack to you. >> thanks, mike. >> prove it or pay it back. the edd's new get-tough policy for pandemic assistance. >> plus, does your holiday weekend include getting a christmas tree? climate change just one of the issues hitting the industry hard this year. the conditions that may have some families dagging out to get the tree sooner than later. >> you may have read on social media about president biden's decision to release oil from the spr. what's true, what's not? we'll go over it. let's take you to the big board. a little lower, but we have fantastic news on first-time jobless claims. the economy continues to improve. >> who are the best artiss of all time? we have our opinions and billboard is out with the annual list.

the artists making an impact, and the best song of all time that will have you sings. we'll explain when we come back. you're watching today in the bay. ersation]

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good wednesday morning. as you're heading out at 6:41, a chilly morning across much of the bay area. also all clear. we don't have the fog issues we have had the past few days. walnut creek, we're at 39

degrees. and yeah, the heater on for the start of the day. but just light jacket weather for the rest of the day. we'll talk about the rest of our holiday weekend forecast coming up. >> it is holiday week as far as the commute is concerned but we have a backup now forming at the richmond to san rafael toll plaza. if you're heading out of town, i have notes for you as well. >> 6:42 right now. voters are reacting to the latest move by the white house to try to lower gas prices. >> and scott mcgrew, reaction on social media buzzing on both sides. >> much of it is misleading. as you know, president biden yesterday announced the u.s. in coordination with allied countries would release 50 million barrels of oil from our struteamic petroleum reserve. now, his critics were quick to call it a thanksgiving stunt, and that is totally fair. the timing is obvious, and we have talked about this. lots of presidents including trump and obama and bush, did

the exact same thing when they were president. it really happens all the time presidentially speaking. and critics are right, it probably will not make that much of a difference, because as we have said, leaders of countries don't have much influence on energy prices. if they did, canada or france or japan would pay a lot less than the u.s. does for a barrel of oil, but the price is the price worldwide. the price is the price because oil is fungible. it can be easily moved and sold to the highest bidder. if somehow america said we're going to pay less, the ship carrying the oil or the oil company pumping oil out of the ground domestically here in the united states would say fine, i'll sell it to somebody else. let's talk about some of the other things you may be seeing on social media. that gas is up more than $1.30 from the height of the pandemic. well, of course it is. the price of gas and oil got so low during the worst of the

pandemic, oil prices dropped to less than zero. true story, april 2020, there was so much oil and nowhere to put it and nobody wanted it, essentially companies were paying buyers to take it off their hands. you may hear it's the green new deal or build back better or the canceling of the keystone pipeline that are somehow causing this price spike. green new deal and build back better have not been adopted. not yet, anyway, and the keystone xl was never carrying oil. the existing keystone pipelines are running full bore, as we speak. now, the spr has more than 700 million barrels of oil. and is designed to be our rainy day supply for energy, especially for the military. we created it back during the oil crisis of the 1970s. former president trump quick to criticize biden, saying, quote, those reserves are supposed to be used in serious emergencies, like war, and nothing else.

but that's very different than what he said and did when he was president. he also released oil when prices were high, filled the spr when prices were low. either way, at the time, he said we had way too much oil. he wanted to sell off about half of it. roughly 350 million barrels of oil from the spr. congress said no. we're tracking everything that's happening and fact checking it on social media. you can find me there. i'm on twitter @scottmcgrew. >> thanks. >> it's 6:45. some californians are now told to prove it or pay it back when it comes to pandemic related jobless benefits. the edd updated its pandemic unemployment policies. it's demanding those who received pandemic payments show their prior work history or pay back their benefits. a 30% penalty can now be added as well. the agency is now notifying all those required to submit the information. state prosecutors have previously said up to 1 million

california inmates were part of a massive fraud scheme tied to pandemic assistance. altogether, it's believed the state paid out some $20 billion in bogus claims. >> if you're among the many gearing up to buy a holiday tree days after thanksgiving, i want you to be prepared for a shortage this year. this is the case, a lot of people definitely being advised to do their holiday shopping early. experts say they're predicting a tree shortage by mid-december. this is because of climate change and higher transport costs that are really packing a one-two punch. the north bay telling us that the record summer heat in the pacific northwest was tough on thime overcome. >> we had weather that went from 112 to 114 degrees and it lasted for four days. we never get that type of warm weather like that. it went from corvallis all the way up to almost seattle, washington. >> even those artificial trees are expected to become hard to find. this is due to supply chain issues. leaders in that sector also

advising people not to wait due to the expected high demand. >> good news for beer lovers. pliny the younger will be back, and you can have a taste. last year's sales were only loun, disappointing a lot of people. starting on february 4th, the lines will start appearing at the russian river pubs and brewery in santa rosa and windsor. every customer, however, will be limited to three ten-ounce pours ofpliny the younger or three hours inside the brewery. cheers. >> r&b singer the weeknd celebrating. >> he broke a new music record that has the industry grooving. ♪♪ >> i don't know the words but i like that song. blinding lights tops the billboard, greatest of all top 100 songs charts. that song spent the most weeks in the billboard top 5, top 10,

top 40 rankings and all of the charts overall. however, the weeknd hasn't broken into the top artists wret. those are the beat ls, madonna, and elton john. >> not bad at all. >> it is 6:48. let's get a look at the forecast with kari. >> we're starting out with clear sky, no fog this morning, and chilly temperatures. here's a live look at the bay bridge, and maybe you're going to be heading to work or hitting the road and getting out of here. let's talk about airport delays that are starting to pop up around d.c. again. we saw that yesterday morning, but it's only 30 minutes, and that's most of the delays we're seeing now. it's been pretty quiet and there's no big weather systems moving across the country. and so this morning, we're very chilly, but this is what we're headed for, 64 in morgan hill. 62 in cupertino. mid 60s for gilroy. seven-day forecast at the bottom of the screen, hayward, a high

of 62 degrees there. 62 in san mateo, and san francisco also reaching into the low 60s. north bay temperatures in the mid 60s today. napa reaching 65. okay, so tomorrow morning, if you want to get up and head out early and do your silicon valley turkey trot, early in the day, you run in the neighborhood, you upload your results online, and you can also donate there as well. we start out with some chilly temperatures tomorrow morning, low 40s. if you like the milder weather. we'll see that continue into the afternoon with temperatures in the 60s, so here's what i was looking at. regionally, we're seeing scattered showers around denver as well as albuquerque and also some light scattered showers around seattle. but all of that rain that we're seeing, it just falls apart before we have a chance to measure any rain. and that going to be the case going into next week as well. even though there's quite a few storm systems out there in the pacific, it will not reach the bay area. we're continuing with more of the same conditions going into

the next few days. thanksgiving is perfect for setting up a table outside, enjoying some more of that sunshine. it's just going to be cool with highs reaching into the low 60s. great shopping weather this weekend. and we'll see more of that as you're heading back to work early next week. and like you're seeing a lighter commute too. >> we expected that. we have seen things ease off since this time last week. the volume really light right now. mild showing for san jose. a little north of capitol expressway to 880, and a blip for 87, but lighter traffic overall. highway 101, mild slowing through san martin. a crash on highway 1 around brighten beach where my friends justin and natalie got married a long time ago. looking slow there. cash crash blocked one of the lanes. heading to l.a., i-5 no problem. down through the grapevine, no problem here through concord. typically, the travel times are about 10% longer so this is

great drive time. actually, about 20% longer. a great drive through concord right now. back to you. >> thanks. >> happening now, we have heard of black friday and small business saturday. today is now being called green wednesday. marijuana dispensaries in the bay area and across the country are getting ready for what some call their busiest day of the week because of historically high pot sales before the four-day weekend. when marijuana tracking firm expects more than $90 million in sales today which would be the sengd highest day of sales ever. >> up next, a look at the holiday travel surge, the unexpected issue that may get in the way for some people flying into or out of sfo today, and an update on price commuters are facing at the pump. plus -- >> just hours from now, suspects in the san francisco retail theft scheduled to be in court while there's been another theft at a department store.

this one in the south bay. you're watching today in the bay.

6:54 on your wednesday morning. welcome back. we're moving you forward a look at the top stories in the bay. >> suspects tied to retail robbery set to appear in court today. bob, unfortunately,thosis thieves targeting another bay

area business just last night. >> another group of thieves, correct. good morning to you, marcus and laura. this taking place in the south bay at the valley fair mall, where a group of four men hit the macy's women's store. they took off with roughly $2,000 in merchandise, according to police. officers were able to nab two of the suspects who were booked on felony charges of burglary and grand theft. the other twoigate away. this is new video from a hit that took place monday night in downtown oakland. a mob of thieves robbed a mom and pop business known as the prime 356 clothing store. you can see from the store's security camera at least 30 people rushed in. they cleared them out of their inventory. the store owners tell us this is the second time they have been robbed in a month at a cost so far of $180,000. and a news conference yesterday, san francisco district attorney announced he would formally file felony charges today against nine people arrested friday night for robbing the louis

vuitton store, a cannabis dispensary, and a walgreens. he said that kind of behavior won't be tolerated and people will be punished. the san francisco police officers association says it will be following the cases closely to make sure buteen keeps his promise. budean is already facing a recall for not being tough enough on crime, according to his critics. reporting live, bob redell, today in the bay. >> also happening today, san francisco police holding a virtual town hall in response to a recent deadly police shooting. it happened last friday inside a residential hotel south of market at fifth and fulsome. police later said the suspect was armed with a knife, and since then, he's been identified. but so far, police have provided few details about his history or what may have prompted officers to open fire. >> a live look at sfo, with the holiday travel rush under way. today is one of the busiest travel days of the year. and in many of those airports,

near prepandemic levels. now from last friday through yesterday, the number of flyers was more than twice the same time last year. and today, at 10:00 a.m., sfo food workers plan to protest over better benefits and hours. that may impact travelers on their way into or out of the airport. >> still too early to tell what kind of impact president biden's oil reserve release plan will have on gas prices, but drivers everywhere hoping it will provide some relief. especially with many traveling for the holiday weekend. a live look at the chevron station over on coleman near sjc. regular unleaded is going for $4.83 there. higher octane gas more than $5. right now, the average across the bay area is about $4.70 a gallon. >> a lot of money. happening now, nasa spacecraft headed toward an asteroid. this is millions of miles away. >> and lift-off of the falcon 9

and dart. >> take a look at that. the unmanned spacecraft is called dart for double asteroid redirection test. last night it lifted off from vandenberg space force base on the central coast. and if all goes well in about ten months, it will actually slam head-on into an asteroid which poses no threat to earth, so the idea here is to test to see if it's possible to knock a speeding space rock off its course if it ever threatened earth. >> all right, the sun is coming up. let's see if everything is coming up roses weather wise. >> starting out very chilly out there. we have seen temperatures drip into the upper 30s. as we geinto today, feeling much milder. we'll do it again tomorrow with a chilly start but nice for thanksgiving dinner. mike, how is the commute? >> light right now. we have a backup at the richmond san rafael bridge. that's one of the only backups woe see. no backup at the toll plaza even though the metering lights are on. a midday, afternoon, and evening

will get crowded. just watch for each other. >> there you go, and be thankful. and before we know, we want to know what you're thankful for this thanksgiving. after a game of bingo with the family, kari posted this on facebook, saying i'm thankful for all of the people around me who fill my life with love and laughter. >> valerie said she's thankful for health, family, love, my retirement and embracing beautiful memories of those gone in the last two years. what are you thankful for? you can post a video or photo explaining what you're thankful for and we'll share them on today in the bay all this week. be sure to tag nbc bay area in your posts. we're so thankful you joib us throughout the year and to my teammates here. you guys are pretty great. >> i like to thank so. >> and modest. >> we really are. thank you. >> have a wonderful thanksgiving. may it be very blessed for you. >> that does it for our midday

newscast. we're going to have the "today" show up next and also local updates for you at 7:25. and don't forget, our midday show at 11:00 today. much more news ahead for you this day. the day before thanksgiving. so be thankful, enjoy. >> get your stretchy pants out. good morning. go time. the thanksgiving travel rush in full effect this morning. tens of millions hitting the airports and roads. >> i haven't traveled much, so this is good. >> braving massive crowds and high gas prices. >> they are really high, you know. what can we do? >> what will you fe as you head out the door? we've got everything you need to know. arms race, inside the push to get covid vaccine boosters shots with families preparing to get together for the holiday weekend, some for the first time in nearly two years. and the questions on the minds