tv and online. let's get started with a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall, of course, tracking what we can expect today. kari? >> yeah, we're waking up to cool temperatures, but it's going to be a warmer afternoon. take a look at the spread in temperatures we're already seeing right now. we have upper 30s in morgan hill, but it is 50 in brentwood, 52 in fairfield and some of these areas with warmer temperatures, those winds will still whipping. so we do have a breezy day ahead, as our temperatures in fremont start out in the low 50s. we'll see the trend headed for the mid-60s by 12:00, and into our lunch hour, sunshine and feeling much more comfortable. some of us will reach about 70. we'll see that in santa rosa, but mostly the temperatures for the peninsula, as well as the south bay, much of the east bay in the upper 60s, which will be warmer than yesterday. we'll talk about the warmer temperatures and what's ahead for the weekend coming up a little later.

>> we'll check back with you. 6:00, right now, moving you forward on mask requirements which changed statewide overnight. but you better keep the masks handy because there are exceptions. "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us inside a tri-valley gym sure to see changes this morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you. we're inside a 24 hour fitness here in livermore, where for the first time in many weeks people can be lifting weights, getting on the treadmill, doing whatever it takes to workout without a mask, as long as they are vaccinated. 24 hour fitness says this will be on the honor system. some people are still choosing to wear their mask. the gym says they will not be checking the vax status of members, but will be asking them to self-attest when they check in that they have received their shots. >> it just feels easier to breathe when you're working out. you're working hard and having that mask in your face is a tough thing. it just feels a lot better not to have it on.

>> i feel that, you know, the virus is still out there, so i'm just going to keep it on until i feel safe. >> reporter: at midnight last night the state lifted the indoor mask mandate and eight of the nine bay area counties are following suit with that guidance. the exception is santa clarita county, which wants to wait a number of weeks until the covid community transmission rate comes down and the city of vallejo is still requiring the masks indoors, but they'll be voting on this issue next week and they could lift it then. even though the indoor mask mandate is lifted in most places, businesses can still require masks. remember, they are privately owned, they're not government run. lynn nice, who owns labels in downtown walnut creek says she will continue to require face coverings for employees at least for now, because some employees are over 65 or live with their parents who are older, and today is white house and the director of the cdc are going to be discussing the loosening of indoor mask mandates nationwide

as far as the federal government is concerned. a decision on that could come as soon as next week. reporting live at a very busy 24 hour fitness in livermore, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you so much. you know, new cdc data shows the impact the omicron surge had on those too young to receive a vaccine. at its peak, about five times as many children under 5 were hospitalized, compared with the peak of the delta surge. the study includes 14 states, including california. from vaccine mandates to mask rules, we're tracking all of the changing guidance. head to nbcbayarea.com, click on covid-19 faq. we come filed a list of commonly asked questions and answers and break down what you need to do to move forward. 6:03 this morning, the world watching and waiting. this is to see if russia makes a move against its neighbor, ukraine.

nato forces are becoming more certain an invasion may force their hand. but an attack from russia will also have an impact right here at home. "today in the bay's" brie jackson live in washington this morning. brie, what are leaders there saying this morning? >> reporter: good morning, marcus. well, we still don't know what russia will do. u.s. officials are trying to assess whether there are signs of de-escalation or if russia is headed toward an invasion. president biden is warning that a russian invasion of ukraine remains a distinct possibility, despite russia's claims of a partial withdraw of troops. the administration says it's seen no evidence of that. the president stressing the devastating human cost of an invasion in ukraine. on capitol hill, senators agree sanctions against russia are necessary, while republicans are arguing that now is the time to act. >> we need a sanctions package legislatively from this

congress. we need to show resolve. >> i hope the administration is not going to wait until after an incursion to turn the screws and put some real sanctions on the russians. >> reporter: americans could see high gas prices soar even more if there is an invasion. the biden administration says it will work with energy producers and congress to provide consumers relief, if need be. now, today the house oversight committee will hold a hearing on russian aggression, including its buildup of troops near ukraine's borders. >> higher gas prices, already paying more than $5 a gallon in the bay area. any higher, i don't know how we're going to do it. thanks, brie. 6:05 this morning. a huge night for bay area olympians in prime time. a live look at the flame burning in beijing and more athletes today are really hoping to bring home gold for team usa.

but one u.s. team's olympic dream cut short in a devastating way. >> "today in the bay's" jamel wang live in beijing. there will be no miracle on ice round two here. >> reporter: no, there won't be. laura, marcus, really heartbreaking. it was so close. a loss for team usa men's hockey team. they went into the quarterfinals undefeated in the preliminary round so they had a shot. but a last-minute loss to slovakia. we saw this earlier in the day. it went into a shootout with a final score of 3-2. usa eliminated and slovakia moves into the semifinals where they will face the winner of the canada versus sweden match going on right now. an emotional loss for all the players, including the captain who hung the flag from his grandmother's memorial in the locker room.

his grandma added a note saying he would be so proud of you. >> he meant a lot to me, and this moment meant a lot to me. i hope we made our country proud. >> it's a bright future for all those guys, and obviously we didn't reach our ultimate goal. this was a great group of guys, that's for sure. >> reporter: so congrats to team usa men's hockey for a tough fight. it is a young team, mostly college players. i'm sure we'll see more of them. but really sad to interview them after the game. as for the women, hopefully they will have more luck. they are in the gold medal match against canada, and that will air in prime time. let's go to the slopes. another chance for mikaela shiffrin, the last alpine event for the women, the alpine combined. that will air in prime time.

mikaela shiffrin's final chance at a medal. keely cashman also competing in this event. good luck to those girls on team usa. to the halfpipe, it's the skier's turn. shaun white, chloe kim, we saw last week. now free skiers, qualifiers in prime time and back-to-back gold medalist david wise of reno will try for a third. he post thd video talking about how awesome the halfpipe is. for the women, we've got a gal me those are students from all saints day school in carmel the alma mater of brita sigourney. she's looking for another medal in pyeongchang. eileen gu of san francisco will also be competing, but for team china. we've got a good news update on

palo alto's vincent zhou. the figure skater is out of quarantine after testing positive for covid back on february 7th. he tested positive right after securing a silver medal for team usa in the team event. unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the men's individual. his teammate, nathan chen, won gold. they're telling me that he will perform, he's been working out in isolation in his room, watching netflix as well, for the very first time. he will perform in the figure skating exhibition gala. that is a premiere event that happens at the end of the games in closing ceremonies. so the top figure skaters will be performing and it will be a great chance to see vincent zhou perform again at these olympic games. >> i bet it will feel good performing as well. thanks, janelle. >> if you're keeping track of team usa's overall medal count, spoiler alert, we're going to reveal the count as the music plays. >> when the music stops, you can come back. ♪

>> keeping with the olympic theme here, new video of something we haven't seen in a while, snow falling in the sierra. after more than a month of no snow or rain, this was the view from a camera near sierra at tahoe. more than an inch fell overnight. not a lot, but still something to get us excited about. kari has a look at the sierra snowpack for us as well. >> yeah, we only had about 1 to 2 inches of snow, but that was the longest stretch we've ever had during the winter without snow. now we've seen the sierra snowpack go down to about 72% of average across the sierra. we are waking up to chilly temperatures as we get out the door. you can see the commute heading out on 580 and temperatures have started out in the mid-40s.

still breezy winds in spots. then as we go into today we'll notice it will be warmer with all of the sunshine. we're headed for the upper 60s. we'll talk about the warm-up in the forecast. mike, you were tracking a crash and backup in the valley. >> bad time for it to happen, two flatbed semis got into a crash. we're seeing speeds move better, but there's a backup blending with the folks coming out of pleasanton. if you take the dublin interchange, you into into the crash slowing. more traffic feeding out of the altamont and a build for the backup at the bay bridge is forming, like we said, because the metering lights are on. >> thanks, mike. is our uber passenger rating more of a one star or maybe a five? coming up next on "today in the bay," new rankings show which cities have the best customers and let's say someone may need a little attitude a justment. >> meanwhile, new data into the

newsroom show americans continue to shop, even despite all these high prices. we'll tell you about it when "today in the bay" continues. in new york city, ♪ ♪

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good wednesday morning. the time is 6:14. getting you out the door and ready for the day in fairfield. we are right now at 48 degrees. we need a jacket for the start, but it's going to be so much more comfortable.

but still pretty breezy, as our temperatures head for the upper 60s. we'll get a look at all of our microclimates and the changes ahead in our forecast coming up. >> and this is my call, i'm going to issue an alert for the tri-valley because i just learned a few more lanes are blocked for southbound 680 as crews arrive to address this crash just past vargas road. it blends in with more slowing coming in out of highway 84. we'll talk about this and the possible workaround coming up. new data show americans are buying a lot more stuff. we talked about demand spurring inflation and there's a lot out there. retail sales figures released by the commerce department show a 3.8% rise in january, much bigger than economists were expecting. online shopping and furniture sales led the categories. these numbers are not adjusted for inflation, so when people pay more that does show up in

the data as more, except december's numbers were negative and inflation was pretty close to the same level back then. for it to reverse itself so quickly is pretty amazing, if you're into economics. "the new york times" says democrats in congress are considering legislation to temporarily lift the federal gas tax until at least the end of the year. federal gas tax accounts for about 18 cents in the price of a gallon of gas. the problem with temporarily setting it aside, of course, is you eventually have to bring it back. that could be very difficult. another interesting tidbit from retail sales, americans spent a lot less on gas in january than december, even as prices rose. stocks did very well tuesday, as we heard all that encouraging news that the russians still seemed open to diplomacy. the dow was up more than 400 points, about 1.25%. nasdaq gained 2.5%. and lastly, marcus and laura, mark zuckerberg sent out a

companywide memo to workers at meta, renaming and changing some of the policies, but the thing that caught everybody's attention is zuckerberg's announcement workers will no longer be called facebookers, but metamates. social media and the employees themselves not so sure they want to be called metamates. in his announcement, zuckerberg reveals where he came up with the name, a play on an old navy phrase, ship mate. you think of the ship first, because without the ship there are no ship mates. then you think of the team and then yourself. so ship mates becomes metamates. i do have a taqueria that i really like that has mates that are really good. >> there's a connection. >> thanks, scott. 6:17 right now. trending this morning, what is your uber passenger rating? i didn't even know that they had

passenger ratings. i thought it was just on the drivers. this is funny. we looked up ours this morning. if you're in san francisco, maybe it's not that great. >> probably not. sf just made uber's top ten list when it comes to lowest average rider ratings among large u.s. cities, and it comes in at number six. l.a. coming in at number eight. the findings come as uber rolls out a new feature to see how many drivers gave you a five star rating and how many gave you just one star. it's all part of the new privacy center available in the company's app starting today. >> so we looked ours up. i'm a 4.88. >> i'm a 4.9. i think one of our directors was a 4.98. mike, i see you looking up something. >> i'm rating kari's weather. >> it better be a five star. >> it's great. compared to the rest of the nation, my goodness, we should be grateful for what we have. >> yes, absolutely.

we're waking up to a clear sky and heading out the door to cool temperatures. don't worry, it's going to be a beautiful day, and we're taking a look at this amazing site that we have right here in san francisco, looking at the trans america building. you can see the full moon above the banner and it's once again all clear as you're heading out the door. let's take a look at these high temperatures. i don't think we can complain about this. 68 degrees for a high today in gilroy, 66, and more temperatures over the next few days. 71 in ant rock and hayward reaching 67 degrees. we'll see some upper 60s for parts of the peninsula, but low 60s for daly city and half moon bay, for san francisco we're in the mid-60s this afternoon. it's still going to be windy and at times gusts kicking up to 15 to 20 miles per hour. we're looking at a high of about 70 in santa rosa and napa

reaching 68 degrees. if you are going to the coastline today, heads-up that the waves will be dangerous. we could see sneaker waves coming up higher, as well as rip currents that could draw you out into the water. be really careful. the beach hazard statement continues through tomorrow morning. we do have some active weather happening, especially for southern california, that low spinning that brings in scattered showers and we're going to see that continuing to move away. there will be another low dipping in by the end of the weekend into early next week and we're watching to see if we can at least squeeze some raindrops out of this. it doesn't look like we'll see much, but there may be another light dusting of snow for the sierra. we're looking at temperatures in the inland areas in the upper 60s going into the weekend, with highs reaching to about 65 degrees on saturday and sunday and cooler next week with some gusty winds. a lot of kids out of school next monday. it's going to be a long weekend

but temperatures will be dropping, especially for san francisco heading back to the upper 50s. and, mike, you are still looking at the tri-valley for breaking news? >> yeah, and i don't like the update we just got from chp. they now report your three right lanes are blocked. this is critical, and with only two lanes south 680 just past vargas, it is backing up. the update says she need a scale. they're worried about the weight of one of the big rigs involved trying to tow it away. it could be quite some time. it's backing up highway 84 out of pleasanton and livermore and the alternate is getting backed up as well. you've got to go over to the castro valley y. the backup is in the south bay starting to build again and at the toll plaza for the bay bridge. >> thank you so much. next on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> the irs just started processing tax returns. we want to make sure you don't

leave any money on the table. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. >> and this morning we are celebrating black history. shining a light on african american pioneers in our community. cathy adams currently serves as the president and ceo of the african american chamber of commerce. adams has been working in the field for more than three decades and helped sparehead the development of the chamber's resiliency relief program, a fund helping black-owned businesses stay afloat during the pandemic. it's 6:22. you're watching "today in the bay."

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well, it's tax time but it doesn't have to be taxing. >> consumer investigator chris chmura and his team want to help. >> you want to know where your money is going. >> lindsey rojah has filed her tax returns herself with a mental question mark. >> sometimes there's a hesitation. did i get all the credits i needed or should i ask someone that knows. >> reporter: she says that changed when she got free tax help through the united way in alameda. >> they made me feel welcome and that was really important for me. >> reporter: united way bay area says it's lined up volunteers to help families fill out and file state tax returns free. >> we want to make sure people aren't leaving money on the table. >> reporter: if your household income is less than $73,000, you

qualify. you can have a zoom session, use an online portal or in-person help at 100 locations around the bay area. >> different sites have different protocols, whether they're by appointment or walk-ins. >> here is where the qr code come in handy. just point the camera on your phone at it and a link will pop up on your screen. in addition to our qr code, the united way says you can call 211 to find free tax help. chris chmura. nbc bay area news. 6:26. next, top stories, including the cost of living on the rise. the cities seeing the largest rent increases and steps say experts say you can take when it comes to making it in the bay. >> reporter: a new partnership will allow you to knock some of those dmv tasks out a little easier 24 hours a day. we'll have that story coming up.

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what about my car? weathertech. right now at 6:30, voted out. the next steps in the coming shakeup for san francisco's school board following yesterday's definitive special election recall. >> and this one may be hard to miss. new digital billboards approved by a major -- for a major south bay freeway. we are live with a look at a decision that's lighting up a lot of controversy. >> and we have a slight warm-up on the way this afternoon as dry weather continues.

we'll take a look at the changes ahead in the microclimate forecast. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you on this wednesday. thanks so much for making us a part of your morning. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. if you're on the go, we broadcast not only to your tv, but you can watch us live on roku, amazon fire, apple tv and online. new this morning, a small earthquake south of gilroy, 3.2 earthquake struck about 4:15 in the morning, centered near san juan bautista. head to our twitter page to let us know if you felt the shaking in the south bay. one person is dead, another suffering major injuries after a car plunged off of interstate 280 near downtown san jose. this happened before 11:00 last night near the 7th street off ramp. the crash never impacted the freeway, and the scene now cleared. the cause of the crash is under investigation. and we have a follow-up for you in the south bay.

san jose leaders are pulling the plug on a decades old electronic billboard ban. the move gives the green light for two new signs along highway 101 near the airport. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez is live this morning to explain what we're all probably going to see pretty soon. >> reporter: good morning to you both. we drove a little beyond to show you what clear channel signs we're talking about. this one is in santa clara. it is big, it is bright, and now the city of san jose is going to have two of its own along highway 101 just north of the interchange. there was a lot of discussion about this item at the city council meeting last night, with scientists and other community groups voicing opposition over light pollution, distractions to drivers and just plain es anesthetics. but in spite of the fact that the commission did not going

forward, all but two of the council members voted in favor of allowing the billboards. now two signs will go up on airport property along 101 just north of the 87. this will generate about a half million in revenue for the airport each year, but the city staff says the benefit is beyond the financial. >> we can use those billboards to help promote and communicate to the community that we serve about the new services that are available. >> reporter: interesting to note when the city surveyed its own residents last year, 93% of the people asked said that they did not want digital billboards in the city, and for about 36 years the city had a policy banning them. but aside from the revenue, the city does get something out of the deal. in exchange, clear channel will put up two electronic billboards like the one behind me and they will have to take down 12 traditional ones, trying to reduce blight in some of the

lower income neighborhoods in our community. in santa clara, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> thank you so much. it's 6:32 right now. the ball is now in san francisco mayor london breed's course after san franciscans overwhelmingly voted to recall three school board members. you can see just how wide the margin was for each. all well over 70% voting to recall. supporters were frustrated with the handling during the pandemic and priorities they argued were misguided. once the ballots are certified, breed will choose replacements to finish out their terms. voters will decide a new board this november. in a statement, mayor breed said in part, the voters of the city have delivered a clear message that the school board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system, above all else. voters in the special election also decided the finalists to fill the assembly seat vacated by david choo.

supervisor matt haney and david campos i april. the seat will be up for grabs again in november. i probably already know the answer to this question, but are you tired of waiting online to handle dmv related business? a new partnership is launching that's going to allow you to do transactions any time you want. this is hopefully going to ease the wait times in the process. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live inside one of san francisco's locations to explain how this is going to work. i can imagine a lot of people who are up for renewals are like, okay, tell me more, tell me more. >> reporter: yes, really it's an interesting program. not only will it relieve wait times but give you a little flexibility on when you're able to complete some of those transactions. right now we're joined by the deputy communications director with the dmv. he's standing next to the machine, the kiosk. talk about what you're able to do. >> this is very convenient.

you can complete ten of the most common dmv transactions, submitting insurance, getting your driver record, and the thing everybody loves is to renew your vehicle registration. it takes less than two minutes. we're going to show you how that works in a moment. it's under two minutes. instructions are in 12 languages. the machine gets debit, credit, and cash and, again, you get your sticker and your registration card on the spot. >> so 24 hours a day, where can you do this? >> so we are partnering with the u.s. postal service at the main post office in oakland and the one right here in san francisco. what makes it so great for customers is that this place is open all the time. so let's say you're procrastinating and my registration is due today. you can stop by here and come in here and go ahead and do your business with the dmv. part of our continuing effort to bring digital services in one

manner or another to the public so that you can do dmv transactions any time, anywhere. >> and it sounds like you've seen shortening of wait times. >> absolutely. just last week statewide, the average wait time at a dmv office, don't fall out of your chair, 15 to 20 minutes. it's been fantastic. and we continue to work to do that, and i hear the beeping noise. here you can see, here is your registration card that goes into your glove box and here is your sticker that you put on your license plate. and how long did that take? probably took us about a minute very, very convenient. so we do have more information we'll place online and you can visit this website if you want information right now. so really just speeds things up, makes it a lot easier. >> it really does. that is our commitment to the public. we are digitizing transactions. make sure you try online first. we have assisted online services as well and this is just another option, limited here, but you can get so much done if you go

online first. >> and i am seeing the i.d., you cannot do that at the kiosk. >> you cannot. you need to start online, upload documents, go to the field office. 15 minutes in the office and you're out of there. >> a lot of information there again online if you have any more questions. we are live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> sounds like a good program. hopefully it relieves some of the time we spend at the dmv. thank you. >> can they maybe get some good lighting going? 6:37 right now. the cost of rent not getting any cheaper. according to apartment list, one bedroom rent prices went up between 6.5% and 18% in several cities between december of 2019 and the end of last year. those include fairfield, petaluma, santa rosa, concord, and pleasant hill. cnbc reporter any nova says if

you're landlord wants to raise your rent, negotiating can be key. >> you might ask them, if i sign for a two-year lease, can you raise the rent a little bit less, or you can even ask them if they could spread out the increase, if maybe you expect in the next -- in the later part of the year you're going to be earning more, you could say could i pay the increase in the second half of the year. >> nova adds even if your rent does go up, landlords on average are charging less for lease renewals compared with new apartments. and just into our newsroom, did you feel this one? another small earthquake rattling the bay area. this one is striking just moments ago near san leandro. this does follow a small 3.2 magnitude earthquake striking south of gilroy around 4:15 this morning near san juan bautista. no reports of damage in either

case. head to our twitter page and let us know if you felt any of the shaking. >> as we get started with our day, of course a lot of people are feeling that. also, if you head outside you're probably going to feel cooler temperatures. meteorologist kari hall is tracking that for us. >> yeah, it feels cold in the south county right now. morgan hill has the coolest temperature at 39 degrees. compare that to the low 50s we're feeling in fairfield with gusty winds and that's keeping temperatures up as you get ready to start this wednesday. we're also seeing temperatures in the east bay in the low 40s and then take a look at the trend. it's going to be warmer than yesterday with sunshine. we'll reach into the upper 60s, in a few spots hitting 70 degrees. big changes after getting that major cooldown for the start of the week. we'll talk more about changes ahead in our weekend forecast that's coming up. mike, you were looking at delays going on now and in the future. >> exactly. trying to warn people as best we can. we're warning them about an unusually slow drive heading out

of pleasanton and livermore because 680 has a crash blocking three of five lanes. this backup includes folks getting off and moving over to 84, through niles canyon. that's one alternate for you. the bigger one we talked about, i timed it out, getting down to fremont from the dublin interchange is ten minutes faster right now if folks obey the speed limit and go over to the castro valley y and then down to 880 through fremont. that's about 8 to 10 miles longer but a little quicker right now. the build is happening at castro valley. consider mapping through waze. you can join our team. we know we had the backup at the bay bridge and that's standard. pretty standard for this morning throughout this portion of contra costa county. warning folks, before 10:00, they're going to start closing lanes at 10:00, possibly until 4:30 tomorrow morning. they're going to have one westbound lane closed. that's the one off to the left.

the right should maintain open status and that should be fine for lighter traffic from orinda to oakland. >> thanks, mike. next, police commissioner is trying to settle a stand just between the district attorney's office. >> at disneyland, actually showing the smile. it's been challenging with masking rules in place but the about-face now coming to the happiest place on earth. >> and we have the latest information, the latest videos on the situation in ukraine. we'll bring them to you when "today in the bay" continues.

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or live chat at calhope.org today. good wednesday morning. right now it's 6:43. we're stepping out the door to temperatures in the mid-40s right now in the tri-valley. take a look at the commute. it is clear, but already busy. we're going to see our temperature trend heading up today, warming up nicely, especially by noon into early in the afternoon. our temperatures reaching the upper 60s. we'll talk more about this kind of weather and what's ahead with more changes coming up. >> kari is right, it's clear in dublin, but heading into the backup, as folks avoid this jam on 680, south of the screen 580, they'll continue toward the castro valley y. we continue to see the build as folks try to avoid this traffic alert. we'll talk about it coming up.

san francisco's police commission expected to wade back into controversy surrounding chief bill scott and district attorney chesa boudin. this all started when chief scott's breaking of a memorandum of understanding, which resulted from the da's office in handling use of force investigations. da boudin has denied violating the agreement. commissioners are expected to decide whether or not to compel scott to undo that decision. a follow-up for you, the latest bombshell allegation in the feud boudin has recently reportedly dismissed the case against a woman whose rape kit used by police to identify her in another crime. that's according to the chronicle. the news conference yesterday, boudin said investigators compared dna from a rape kit collected back in 2016 with dna collected at a recent felony property crime scene. scott says this week, if allegations are true, he will fight to end that practice.

breaking news just into our newsroom. president biden has instructed the national archives to give former president trump's white house visitor logs to the committee investigating the attack on the capitol. trump had claimed executive privilege or protections sometimes allowed for presidential records. however, as the white house letter to the national archives points out, presidential administrations routinely allow the public to see white house visitor logs. the letter gives the national archives 15 days to comply. president biden has a stern warning for russians, if you invade the rest of the world is united against you. >> scott mcgrew joins us. a lot of possible dates has been tossed around as invasion day. the one that comes up the most is today. >> that's right, the president of ukraine, one of the who predicted it would beh. now, keep in mind it's already late afternoon in ukraine right now, so so far, so good. the russians certainly didn't attack at dawn. we do have new video from

russian state television channel. keep in mind they always show us what they want us to see, but it is armor, they say, being moved away from the border. the russians say they're withdrawing units from the front line. now, secretary of state blinken just moments ago said there was no clear evidence the russians are withdrawing. but as we were discussing yesterday, there have been positive signs toward peace. we have video of nato troops and the irony is putin has worked so hard for so many years to fracture the nato alliance, and all he's done by threatening ukraine is strengthen it. here's president biden. >> if russia attacks ukraine, it will be met with overwhelming international condemnation. the world will not forget that russia chose needless death and destruction. invading ukraine will prove to be a self-inflicted wound. the united states and our allies and partners will respond

decisively. the west is united and galvanized. >> now, one key test for president biden was getting the germans on board. germany is the most powerful nato ally in europe. video here of biden meeting with the german chancellor last week. germany has a complex relationship with the russians. i spoke to my german tv counterpart about that. >> i think for most of the germans, they're happy with the chancellor that he's doing something. germany doesn't seem to be some kind of third party that could not be involved. i mean, we have ties to russia, we have strong ties concerning energy, natural gas, like petrol, and we have a very difficult history, if you look back at the second world war. at least it's something that it's still an issue here in germany. >> things are happening very

quickly. we update you on social media and on twitter i'm @scott mcgrew. >> good news for your next trip to disneyland. masks are optional as of tomorrow. the policy applies to indoor and outdoor locations for fully vaccinated visitors and it follows the state lifting the mandate today. face coverings are still required on enclosed transportation and indoors for those not fully vaccinated. 6:49 this morning. time to get a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking what we can expect. a beautiful sunrise behind you, kari. >> yes, so you might want to go ahead and get the camera ready. look out the window and take the beautiful pictures of the start of our wednesday morning. when you go out there, you're going to be like, okay, i need a warmer jacket, because our temperatures are still chilly and we've seen numbers starting out mostly in the 40s for temperatures, 41 degrees in walnut creek and then we're headed for the mid-60s by

lunchtime. then some upper 60s as we head to the south bay, upper 60s will feel much warmer than yesterday. but we will still have a breeze at times and our temperature reaches 69 degrees in east san jose and 67 in los gatos. there will be a few spots reaching the low 70s and we'll see that in antioch and in fremont look for a high of about 67 degrees. we'll see upper 60s in palo alto, while daly city will reach up to about 62 degrees. we'll see mid-60s in san francisco. 64 downtown, and our north bay highs reach up to 70 in santa rosa, as well as sonoma. nice, wild weather but still pretty gusty. if you're going to the coastline today, just a heads-up that there will be sneaker waves, where waves come up a lot higher and rip currents as well that could carry you farther out into the ocean. so be careful out there if you are going to the beach today. that continues through tomorrow. here's what's going on. we're seeing a low to the south of us that's kicking up high winds for us and bringing in

some light rain for southern california. but that will be moving away, conditions quiet down and our temperatures stay warm. but then next week we'll see another one of these lows dipping in and it could bring in light snow flurries for the sierra. we're waiting to see if we can get some rain out of this. as of now it does look dry, but we're going to see changes as we go into the next few days. it will definitely be cooler. take a look at the seven-day forecast. we'll see highs in the upper 60s for the next few days and going into the weekend it will be mild. you'll notice it will be cooler on sunday and cooler on presidents' day as a lot of kids will be out of school. jackets on with the sunshine that will continue. mike, you've been tracking the big backup in the tri-valley. >> the alert is still there from chp, going from the tri-valley, rippling out to the rest of the east bay. 84 slow and 680 through niles canyon. the backup starts back and folks

are passing the dublin interchange. it's building toward the y because this is still a little less time coming down the nimitz. those are your two options right now and that will ripple out through the east bay. we're tracking that. meanwhile, the south bay has shown more slowing coming through san jose and continuing up toward palo alto. the express lanes are there but they don't help you unless you have the fas trak flex. back to you. >> it is 6:52. a renewed push to decriminalize jay walking. sorry, the facebook live, i don't know what's going on right now. state assemblyman ting plans to hold a news conference this morning. he says jay walking tickets are disproportionately given to people of color and can lead to life-threatening interactions with law enforcement. last year governor newsom vetoed a similar bill. and a quick look at the stop stories we're following, including bright lights getting the green light in the south bay. the new digital billboards you're likely to see after a

vote sparking a lot of controversy. plus, we are live in beijing with a preview of what to expect during tonight's prime time olympics coverage. and live on facebook, we are live this morning. laura is providing the sound track for us. make sure you join us on facebook so you can see what's happening behind the scenes. >> we're trying to do this thing where we're joining together. we're trying things for you to enjoy on air as well as online. we're moving you forward on "today in the bay." we'll be right back.

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it is 6:56 this morning. welcome back. we're moving you forward with a look at the top stories here on "today in the bay." >> the ending of california's mask mandate. we have a live look inside a tri-valley gym. anyone heading to workout can do so without a mask if you're fully vaccinated and you can do maskless again in eight of the nine bay area counties. there are exceptions. santa clarita county wants to wait until transmission rates go down. the city of vallejo will vote on the issue there next week. >> and two small earthquakes rattling parts of the bay area this morning. the most recent a 2.9 that happened at 6:20 this morning. that follows a 3.2 quake that struck south of gilroy at around

4:15 this morning. there are no reports of damage in either of the quakes. head to our twitter page, nbc bay area, and we'll let you know what's going on and let us know if you felt it. >> the ball is in mayor london breed's court after san franciscans voted to recall three board members. you can see how wide the margin was for each, all well over 70% voting to recall. recall supporters were frustrated with their handling of the pandemic and priorities they argued were misguided. once the ballots are certified, mayor breed will choose replacements to finish out their terms. voters will decide a new board this november. san jose council members have approved two new digital billboards, overturning a 35 year ban. this comes despite a lot of opposition and a recent vote against it by the april commission. the new billboards will be located on san jose airport property, and as part of the deal sjc will be granted advertising 10% of the time.

right now, a russian 15-year-old sits atop of the standings, mired in a cloud of controversy. >> let's go to "today in the bay's" janelle wang live in beijing this morning. let's start with some good news. this is about palo alto's men's figure skater vincent zhou. >> reporter: he is out of quarantine. he's been there since february 7th, after testing positive for covid. he helped secure team usa for a silver medal in the team event and then tested positive, so he had to withdraw from the men's individual. his teammate, nathan chen, won gold in that event. he hopefully will skate in the exhibition gala on sunday, the day of closing ceremonies. a new update on russian figure skater, who is in first place heading to the free skate on thursday. the ioc says it's premature to make any conclusion on the 15-year-old's case. she's competing despite testing positive for a banned substance

for the games. and five-time olympian and now retired snowboarder shaun white is making his first stop of his retirement on the "today" show and that's happening right after "today in the bay." back to you, marcus and laura. >> a jam-packed night here on nbc bay area. the short track and freestyle skiing, then hill knee knight and team usa women's hockey takes on can ra. prime time action starts at 5:00 tonight. now a quick check of the forecast. >> yeah, we're waking up to a clear sky and our temperatures chilly, but it's going to be warmer later today. still pretty windy and those gusts at about 10-15 miles per hour. we'll see temperatures in the upper 60s as we go into the rest on the week. >> a really rough drive right now, backing up through pleasanton, three lanes are blocked because of two semis that crashed. you might want to go through castro valley. more traffic is rippling out through the east bay. i'll tweet out updates and

hopefully the lanes will be cleared in the next half hour. all i know is you can find marcus and me and others right here on facebook. >> we're doing a facebook live. it's kind of crazy. that's what's happening at "today in the bay." we're back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> the "today" show is coming up next. have a great day. ♪ good morning coast to coast, a massive winter storm racing across the country. tens of millions in the path of snow, rain and high winds from the southwest to new england al's got everything we need to know about the timing and trk. high stakes. with tens of thousands of russian troops still on ukraine's border, president biden's message to vladimir putin. >> invading ukraine will prove to be a self inflicted wound. this morning, are the russians signaling an exit strategy or just playing games