oakland forward. breaking now, a big rig literally falling off the highway in the east bay. the commute chaos in lafayette. covid surging as we head into the holidays. and awaiting a verdict as jury deliberations pick back up in the elizabeth holmes criminal fraud trial. the questions jurors will have to answer if they can't come up with a verdict today. this is "today in the bay." it is two days until christmas.

i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. we're going to get more on that crash in just a moment. but the rain is starting to pick up. this is a live look at richmond this morning. we're in store for so much more. meteorologist kari hall joins us. look at all that green behind you on the radar. >> it's so nice to hear the rain falling right now. i can hear it hitting the roof. i just wish we could sleep in a little bit longer. it's great to see all of this rain pouring. if you have to get out and drive through this, be very careful and allow for extra time. 280, a very slick drive as you head into south city right now as well as much of the east bay with the brighter yellows and reds there showing that the rain is really coming down. it's also picking up for san

jose as well as los gat toes. still pretty light around eastern contra costa county. it's going to get heavier there in the next few minutes as well. the rain is meeting with some colder air, enhancing the energy we're seeing with this system. that could bring us thunderstorms by late morning. we could see some breaks as we go into this afternoon. there still will be a chance of rain at any point today. really timing that out, talking about how much more rain to expect. highway 24 right above the pleasant hill road surface street, a big rig fell off, was hit from behind, fell off the freeway literally onto the surface street. there is now a hazmat situation because of spilled fuel.

they have completely closed off that surface street so you don't have access to the east bay lanes. thankfully chp has reported no major injuries. i want to give you an idea what you'll be facing. pleasant hill road is completely closed until further notice. deer hill road and the mount diablo boulevard stretch is where they are guiding people. avoid pleasant hill right beneath highway 24 in lafayette. as we keep track of that storm, storm ranger scanning on san bruno mountain this morning, giving you the latest information of where the storm is heading.

download our free nbc bay area app and get up to the minute updates on where the rain is and when it will head to your neighborhood. new warnings this morning for christmas gatherings. states are hitting new pandemic records. hospitals are now scrambling. still americans are forging ahead and are determined to celebrate holidays in person this year. the fda is clearing the way for the nation's first covid treatment pill. alice barr has the latest. >> good morning, laura. research shows the new anti-viral pill from pfizer is highly effective against severe illness, though it won't be widely available until production has a chance to ramp up. it does appear to work against the omicron variant, which has now been found in all 50 states. this morning, families are coming together for christmas with thoughts of omicron hanging over many celebrations. white house covid advisors say small gatherings with

protections can go ahead. >> we're really encouraging people to be vaccinated, boosted and practice all of those prevention strategies before they gather. >> but large parties with unknown vaccination status are a no. >> we urge you to stay away a from situations that could put you at higher risk. >> hospitals face a crushing wave of cases with new cases topping 200,000 two days in a row. >> it just feels like no one is listening. i'm begging you to please get vaccinated. >> but there is new hope as the fda clears the way for the nation's first covid anti-viral treatment pill. it should be available in days, though supplies will be limited for now. >> the early clinical trial data is it's 90% effective at preventing hospitalization and death in unvaccinated

populations. >> the pills must be taken within five days of the start of symptoms, making early testing even more critical just as tests are harder to access. >> they should be more available. >> the white house is racing to increase supply, trying to keep pace with the rapid omicron surge. new studies out of the u.k. and south africa show that omicron infections may be less likely to lead to hospitalization. that would be very good news, but medical experts are cautioning we have to wait and see how it plays without with our individual population, also noting that the sheer number of cases is going to increase hospital stays. contra costa county leaders getting a huge response for those free at home covid tests this week. it comes as pharmacies are

limiting the number of test kits you can buy and in some cases you can't even find them. running dry. a lot of people are hoping to get tested before seeing their loved ones for the holidays. >> the last two days we've distributed approximately 1200 to 1300 packages and each have two tests in them. that's around 2500 tests. >> everybody we know went and couldn't find any. so friends heard about this and texted us. so we came down to get them. >> more kits will be available this morning at both supervisors' offices in el ser ree toe. a jury will meet again to deliberate the fate of theranos founder elizabeth holmes. bob redell, any idea where the jury stands? >> reporter: it could be anyone's guest. today would be the third full day of deliberations for the

jury. they'll be meeting in the federal courthouse behind me here in san jose. they've already spent 16 hours on this case deliberating. the case includes 3 1/2 months of testimony. a legal expert we spoke with says they believe it will still be more time before jurors come down with a verdict. elizabeth holmes was 19 years old when she founded theranos. this is the company which claimed they had a machine that could detect hundreds of diseases with a single drop of blood. holmes faces fraud and conspiracy charges for allegedly bilking investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. some court watchers have

speculated with the holidays looming, the jury may want to wrap up as soon as possible but one legal expert tells us they don't think a jury would rush a verdict given how much weight their decision holds. >> we have a woman who was a 19-year-old startup founder who is a new mom who could be facing decades in prison. i think the jury is going to take that with as much gravitas as they should. >> reporter: the jury, if they do not come down with a decision today, they could decide to come back next week. this would be after christmas or the first week of the new year. i remember back on tuesday the jury did have a question for the judge. what was that question? >> reporter: they were asking the judge could they bring their jury instructions home. the judge said no, all deliberations must take place in the courthouse behind me. >> bob redell live this morning

at the federal courthouse in san jose. thank you. as soon as that verdict comes down, we'll bring it to you live with legal analysis and a breakdown of what happens next for holmes. here's a look at the traffic jam last night just as the snow was starting to fall once again in the sierra. it was on highway 80 near kingvale. this is a look at highway 80 right now. looks like they've reduced some of the lanes there. chains are required between sing vale and donner summit. what's been happening here lately is this storm has been a little bit warmer.

we're only seeing snow up above about 7,000 feet. as this cold front drops in, those snow levels will continue to drop as well. that means more snow for the sierra. while we get the rain, we're getting a little bit more energy here, the reason why the rain has picked up in intensity and a few more gusty winds. there will be the chance we could get some storms and hail. rainfall totals still up to about 3 inches and higher in spot spots and 4 to 8 feet of snow in the sierra. it's been busy especially for lafayette commuters. if you take highway 24 and use pleasant hill road to get onto highway 24, an earlier crash involving another vehicle and a big rig where the big rig literally fell over into the surface street down below on pleasant hill road. this is completely closed off. no impact to highway 24, but

pleasant hill road is expected to remain closed as it is a hazmat situation. no estimate when this will reopen. you may want to take deer hill road. also highway 24 just before the pleasant hill road exit, there is an earlier crash starting to cause a little bit of a delay through that area. another area is in through pleasant hill along southbound 680 near the paris road exit. that is also starting to cause some delays through that stretch due to an earlier accident. there is another earlier accident from northbound 101 to highway 85. you're looking at about 25 minutes. coming up, only two days until christmas morning. more than half of shoppers say they are still picking up last minute gifts. the move target is making to

make sure your last minute gift giving is even easier. ceo elon musk is the subject of a new report that claims he may not be as humble as once believed.

this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities.

on this thursday morning

before christmas, we are in a micro climate weather alert. taking a look at a soggy christmas in the park, it's going to stay wet for the next few hours in san jose, temperatures in the upper50s. we have the drought update and also how much rain we've measured coming up in a few minutes. and the wet roads making for a dangerous commute in the bay area. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. no delays through any of the bridges and the metering lights remain off. we have a couple of other crashes to tell you about in the eastbound and the south bay. first, let's check in with business and tech. good morning. >> good morning to you. taking a live look at the futures right now, wall street is set to open higher this morning as the markets attempt to extend gains to a third straight day. spread of

the omicron variant. we are just two days away from christmas and we know some people are waiting until the last minute to do some of that christmas shopping. more than half of consumers say they are still picking up gifts this week. target chief stores officer telling the "today" show that the retailer added 18,000 curb spaces to make up some of the same day pickup and make it even easier for you. >> you can place your order all way up to 6:00 p.m. christmas eve and we'll have it ready for you in a couple hours. >> coming up on the "today" show, get last minute tips and tricks to finish your holiday shopping. we're not sure where elon musk is spending his holidays but we know more about where he's living. >> back in july he tweeted he's living in a less than 50,000 home in boca chica and the only

home he owns is here in the bay area. >> the "wall street journal" investigation shows that he's living it up in austin at a billionaire friend's estate and shopping for his own texas palace. he's staying at the waterfront home of a cofounder of paypal. new this morning, flavor town came in the north bay for us, treating the men and women of the sonoma county sheriff's office to a nice family dinner. they sacrifice each and every day to serve and protect the community and it's important for us to show our gratitude and respect for all that they do, he wrote. >> he's so giving. it's so nice to see. look at kari. what are you doing with all this rain? we're keeping you on the go.

[ laughter ] >> yes. it's been great to see. it's also nice that you're bringing the sunshine with that yellow dress this morning. we're also seeing some yellow on the radar this morning. that means more intense rain as we take a closer look at storm ranger where we've seen widespread rain. where we see the green it's a little bit lighter. yellow indicates heavier downpours. we're seeing that around san mateo right now. in the east bay just over the fremont hills and heading over to the east, we're also seeing the rain. rain getting a little bit lighter for san jose but moving farther south. parts of alameda and contra costa county right now getting a steady rain coming down. it's a sloppy commute for all of us here. this moisture meeting up with some colder air, so it's going to be a chilly day. take a look at our drought

monitor. i want to go back and forth and show you how it looked last week. we're still looking at dark reds indicating the highest level of drought, the exceptional drought. we've seen some minor improvements in the southern sierra. going from exceptional to extreme drought. here in the bay area, still very dry. this historical drought does continue even as we see all of this rain coming in. hopefully we'll continue to make dents in the drought as we go into the next several weeks with more rain like what we've seen. so far we've measured 3 inches of rain in the santa cruz mountains, san bruno nearing 2 inches and morgan hill approaching an inch of rain there. looking at the rain hour by hour, still raining throughout the morning, but then starting to taper off. we will have a chance to see some thunderstorms, especially by late morning into early in the afternoon. then some clearing at times.

we could see a break in the rain that lasts for several hours. that's the kind of pattern we'll see through christmas day. and rounds of heavy rain at times continues in the forecast. very heavy morning rain, a chance of storms and hail. make sure you have the nbc bay area app so you can get those alerts. scattered afternoon showers and rainfall totals up to 3 inches in some spots and sierra snow at 4 to 8 feet. we could see lowering snow levels and that could mean we could have some snow on our bay area mountains and hills. this is something you want to have a heads up on. highway 24, a big rig was hit from behind, fell off the freeway onto pleasant hill road. and now they are completely

closing off pleasant hill road because of a hazmat situation. fortunately, no injuries have been reported from this crash. you could see the video there. it's definitely going to take some time before they fully clear that out. this is along highway 24 right beneath pleasant hill road. right now i am starting to notice delays through deer hill road and that is going to be kind of messy especially onto mount diablo boulevard. there are several fender benders and delays along southbound along highway 17 from an earlier crash. highway 17 really does end to get messy and very dangerous for the morning commute. the bay bridge with no metering lights on. keep in mind it's starting to get windy, so your bridge drive

times starting to slow down a bit. coming up next on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> ribbon, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and bows, what do you do with all of those holiday remnants? i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. rn about covid-19 the more questions and worries we have. calhope can help with free covid-19 emotional support.

call 833-317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. hey, angie! you forgot your phone! calhhey lou! angie forgete covid-her phone again?port. yep. lou! mom said she could save up to $400 on her wireless bill by switching to xfinity internet and mobile. with nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and lou! on the most reliable network, lou! smart kid, bill. oh oh so true. and now, the moon christmas special. gotta go! take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes switching fast and easy this holiday season.

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>> reuse it, recycle it, trash it? we're going to use guidance from the city of san jose. bows and ribbons. san jose says all bows and ribbons cannot be recycled. they can be thrown in the trash or you can save them and reuse them next year. wrapping paper is easy to reuse too, or some of it is. not everyone's unwrapping technique is exactly conducive for reuse next year. san jose says you can recycle most wrapping paper. don't worry about the tape. it's fine in the recycle bin. san jose says wrapping paper that is shiny or contains foil or metallic pieces cannot be reused. same with tissue paper. you have three choices, reuse it, trash it or compost it. as for cardboard boxes, they're generally recyclable. gift bags are a mixed bag. most are recyclable.

the city says the shiny ones are the problem. they're partly plastic and not recyclable. you'll have to reuse or trash those. right now at 5:30, the rain and wind intensifying this morning in parts of the bay area. next, the top stories we're following today, including the rain causing a mess on the roads.

this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist,

and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. ♪ 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 ♪

the rain and wind intensifying this morning in parts of the bay area. meteorologist kari hall is timing it all out. covid is on the mind of many. recommendations from experts on protecting yourself from the omicron variant. surreal to see the devastating sight of our synagogue up in flames. >> a south bay synagogue goes up in flames. how one of the members helped save one of the most important things. this is "today in the bay." good thursday morning to you.

thanks for joining us. seeing the rain coming down across the bay area. it was coming down kind of hard in san jose early this morning. run from the car to the building. good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. we have a major alert going on in the east bay. first, let's get to meteorologist kari hall to talk about this rain we've been seeing across the bay area. it is wet and windy out there. is it going to stick around for a while? >> it will. and the temperatures are dropping too ahead of a cold front sweeping through. it's giving more energy to the rain we've seen and creating some of those heavier downpours along with gusty winds. rain is falling very heavily around san mateo and woodside, reaching across the bay into the eastbound.

east bay. it continues to move into the south county and the tri-valley with a steady rain over eastern contra costa county into the delta. we are going to continue to see waves of rain coming in and also a chance of thunderstorms moving through by late morning into the early afternoon. it looks like some of us are take a break from the rain especially in the north bay by this afternoon. still a chance of showers at any point and you may be able to get out later this evening without dealing with any rain. >> chp traffic reports definitely showing wet roads may have played a role in this. look at this. a big rig fell off the freeway after being hit from behind. from highway 24 onto pleasant hill road down below. pleasant hill road closed off right now in both directions because there's a hazmat situation with some of that fuel that spilled. no estimated time on when that

stretch is expected to reopen. i am noticing delays on surface streets including deer hill road and mount diablo boulevard. avoid that pleasant hill stretch. highway 17 is also seeing major delays at this hour. be sure to download our nbc bay area app. you'll get minute by minute updates on the storm and you can use our radar to find out when the rain will hit your neighborhood. holiday travel hitting overdrive today as people try to make it to their destinations. this year air travel is forging ahead at near record levels despite the spread of the omicron variant. cierra johnson is live at sfo. i would imagine it's getting pretty busy out there. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. yeah, we do a lot of live shots

here at sfo about the changes in the testing protocol and changes to international travel. it's typically not this busy at 6:30 in the morning. we've seen a lot more cars, a lot more ride share cars coming through dropping folks off and people really moving with a sense of purpose this morning as we approach that holiday travel. today a very busy day anticipated for folks because christmas is just a couple of days away. if you plan to travel or have friends or family coming in, take a look at your screen. this is a snapshot from aaa to give you an idea how many folks plan to travel this holiday season. aaa estimating 109 million people, an almost 34% increase from 2020, will travel 50 miles or more as they hit the road or planes or other modes of transportation.

the travel period will be december 23rd to january 2nd. 27.7 million more people are traveling, bringing this year's numbers to 92% of 2019 levels. airlines will see 184% increase from last year. here at sfo, leaders say traffic is about 60 to 65% of pre-pandemic levels. in oakland, the airport expects to reach 90% of 2019 passenger levels for this holiday season. this travel is all taking place as the omicron variant runs through the nation. it is important to note that the biden administration has extended its federal mask mandate through march 18th. this applies to anyone taking a bus, a plane or a train, really any public mode of transportation. it will be months before anyone is able to remove that mask while traveling. we had a chance to speak to a traveler. take a listen. >> i'm excited to go home and i'm worried.

most of the people have vaccinated now. >> reporter: she says she's traveling to uganda. tsa numbers really give a larger snapshot of how many people not just here in the bay area but across the nation are going through tsa. we'll definitely relay those numbers to you to give you an idea how many people are traveling this holiday season. more details now if you are considering cancelling or changing your flight plans because of the pandemic, in many cases these days you can do so.

of course that depends on which airline you fly and what fare you booked. united, southwest and american airlines are among those airlines that allowing you to cancel for free. alaska airlines have a 24-hour cancellation policy. spirit airlines allows free changes or cancellations but only 60 days or more before you fly. covid is cancelling the remaining performances of a christmas carol. broadway san francisco made that announcement yesterday after breakthrough cases involving the production crew. all ticket holders are getting refunds. the next show is set to be the band's visit, starting january 11th. no cancellations for that musical as of now. the first studies overseas suggest fewer hospitalizations despite faster spread of the omicron variant. according to new u.k. data, people infected with omicron

were two-thirds less likely to be hospitalized compared to those infected with the delta variant. the same study found omicron to have a much higher rate of reinfection for people who previously battled covid. experts say the best way to contain omicron is to get people boosted. >> you have a larger population of memory cells from the vaccine and a greater variety of memory cells that are fine tuned to different parts of the spike and more likely to combat any variant. >> the study has not been peer reviewed, but the findings echo the conclusions of a similar study done in south africa. in the south bay firefighters still aren't saying if they know what sparked a fire that destroyed a south bay synagogue early yesterday morning. san jose's habbad house.

arson investigators are trying to determine if it was set intentionally. the temple just opened three months ago. the rabbi says the most important things were saved, including four scrolls. >> we're going to rebuild stronger and better. we're going to do torah and mitzvah. we'll do goodness and kindness taking the flame of goodness that will last much longer than the flames that burned down our building. >> the cause of that fire is still unclear. the rabbi does say surveillance video shows someone lurking under a the carport around 2:00 in the morning. that's when firefighters believe that fire started. what we have learned since the death of george floyd and the social reckoning that followed, for nearly two years our ongoing series "race in america, the conversation" has

explored how race affects our lives. tonight we're joining forces looking back at both of those series and asking what's changed. >> i think what's changed is the conversation. it's so enlightening and refreshing to see so many people want to have that conversation. i can't tell you how many e-mails i've gotten saying thank you, are you going to do another one? now we're in a space where people feel a little bit more comfortable addressing the uncomfortable in the room. >> that was one of the big things for us, was this doesn't a conversation with just two minority people having it with white people out there. it was a conversation about us

having that conversation. and we wanted to make sure we were being really honest with each other also, because just because marcus is black and i'm hispanic and we are both minorities, it doesn't mean that our experiences are the same or that our biases toward each other or people in our own culture, you know, are the same. the one thing marcus and i promised each other is we were going to be really honest and open. >> a great conversation. it's "race in america." the candid conversation is going air tonight at 5:00 on our sister network, nbc sports bay area. here we are in the holiday spirit. taking a live look outside, christmas in the park in downtown san jose. pretty soggy out there, very wet. the series of storms are here hitting the bay area. meteorologist kari hall has been keeping track of it all. now christmas is this weekend. we're going to see rain? >> yes, we will. i wanted to show you storm ranger right now, because i know

some people are up early hitting the roads. i want to show you where the heaviest rain is now. pretty much all of us are seeing some rain. south of san francisco at the airport there are no delays right now. no regional delays at the airports. if you're staying here at home we are going to see snow levels dropping. so that snow continues throughout the weekend as temperatures only reach in the low to mid 30s over the next couple of days. in l.a. the rain will be heading there, so possibly some thunderstorms tomorrow as that rain continues into saturday as

well. highway 17, we're getting reports on northbound 17 there are appears to be rocks that have slid onto one of the lanes off the side of the mountain. so it is blocking one of the lanes. again, this is along northbound 17. it's causing some backup and also the cars have to go around it. again, rocks along northbound 17 right before sugarloaf road. if this is a part of of your morning commute, we're also seeing slowing on the southbound lanes because of the rain. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. for the most part the bridges have stayed coming up next, the 49er bay area tonight. their playoff hopes may be on the line in tennessee.

how jimmy g is preparing. plus hot chocolate on the line.

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there's no eta on when the rocks will be cleared. we'll have another update on drive times coming up in 15 minutes. new this morning we're getting our first look at prince harry and meghan's new daughter

lilibet. she is the sussexes second child. little son archie was born in 2017. 49ers continue their push for the playoffs in tennessee in a special thursday night game right here on nbc bay area. >> they've been trying to hold onto the sixth seed playoff race.

it's been so chilly and it's raining but you might have to get that hot chocolate to go if you're about to step out the door. it's been also very rainy and we're seeing rain picking up this morning as some colder air comes in. we see it on the peninsula, starting to clear up around mountain view but i think it's going to be returning within the next few minutes. lightening up in san jose. we've also taken a break in livermore. we are still seeing rain falling in parts of the east bay. there's still a lot of energy here so there's a chance we could see some thunderstorms today along with some small hail. still a lot of moisture across the region for this storm system

to work with. so we are not done with this rain yet. it will continue. that's the good news. with the drought update that came out this morning, last week we are still looking a t the highest level of drought. with the change this morning we've only seen some improvements for parts of the southern sierra. they went from exceptional drought to extreme drought. here in the bay area we still haven't seen a dent in the drought just yet. once again, the good thing is we are seeing more rain coming in. we know it's going to take a long time to dig out of this drought. as far as rainfall totals, over 3 inches in the santa cruz mountains. we've also seen rainfall totals over 2 inches for santa rosa, nearing 2 inches at the san bruno mountain and morgan hill. we're going to see once again more showers off and on today.

but there may be some breaks later on this evening but still a chance we could see the rain coming through. a chance of storms and hail continues from late morning into early afternoon and tapering off into more scattered showers. we're still on track for 4 to 8 feet of snow in the sierra. colder temperatures come in next week. we've been reporting on this all morning lafayette, highway 24. a big rig fell off the freeway

after being hit from behind onto the road below. pleasant hill road is closed in both directions. no estimatd time on when this will reopen. there is a fuel spill. no injuries reported according to the chp. i have an update on highway 17. it appears along northbound 17 right before sugarloaf road some rocks have fallen onto the highway, causing a little bit of a blockage in one lane. we're making phone calls to see how bad of a rock slide it was. it is starting to cause delays through that stretch. happening now, face masks again being required at universal orlando resorts starting on friday. the theme park says it will not check for vaccination status. it's asking everyone regardless of their status to wear face

coverings. next, a quick look at the top stories including millions of americans on the move ahead of the christmas holiday. the covid concern that remains and what you can do to keep you and your family safe. >> reporter: a third full day of deliberations into the trial of elizabeth holmes. the timeline for when the jury could come down with a verdict.

this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past...

and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. welcome back. a look at our top stories, including jury deliberations resuming in the elizabeth holmes trial. >> bob redell is live at the courthouse. any idea when the jury could be close to a verdict? >> reporter: we asked our one legal expert that question. since the holiday is coming up christmas on saturday, maybe the jurors would try to wrap this up. other experts told us that would be unlikely. they have to imagine jurors know how much weight their decision has in a case like this. they would be taking their time and they believe it would be

some sometime before they come to a decision in the trial of elizabeth holmes, the founder of theranos. holmes dropped out of stanford at the age of 19 to found theranos. this was a company that had a machine they claimed could detect hundreds of diseases with just a single drop of blood. holmes faces nine counts of fraud and two counts of conspiracy for allegedly bilking investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. jurors return in just a couple of hours to begin the third day of deliberations. bob redell, "today in the bay." two days from christmas, health experts are warning about a new covid surge. new cases have topped 200,000 two days in a row. according to new u.k. data, people infected with omicron were two-thirds less likely to be hos compared with

those infected with the delta variant. experts advise small gatherings with protections are okay. large parties not recommended when people's vaccination status is unknown. time to get a last look at the forecast. a rainy start to the day, kari. >> yeah. we're seeing widespread rain on storm ranger right now. in some spots it's heavier. that will continue for the next couple of hours with some breaks. we're also keeping an eye on the potential for a few thunderstorms. in the south bay expect more of that rain. we'll keep you updated throughout the morning. it looks like things are slowing down in the eastbound along 880 southbound and northbound. that's a live look. there is a crash being reported right near this stretch. southbound lanes also noticing delays along northbound 101 from highway 85. an earlier crash slowing things down. you're looking at a 26-minute commute through that area.

highway 17, there's a rock slide in the northbound stretch. stay with nbc bay area. we'll be here for you all the way. >> we have a live update coming up at 7:25 and more news for you. forging ahead. americans determined to forging ahead. americans determined to celebrate christmas even as covid rages, omicron now reaching all 50 states health officials saying small gatherings can be safe while cautioning against those larger settings. >> stay away from those situations that could put you at a higher risk. >> this morning, new hope in the covid fight. the fda clearing the way for the nation's first covid treatment pill complete coverage straight ahead. buckle up. one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season on tap for the nation's airports and ros.