right now at 3:00, san francisco's lunar new year parade is back after a two-year hiatus. but security is a top concern and local groups are not taking any chances. and major hurdle cleared for the oakland a's proposed new ballpark, but could it be too or a deal? why the team is still eying vegas as a new home. first, strong words from president biden. the commander in chief says the u.s. has reason to believe that russia will attack ukraine in just a matter of days. thanks for being with us.

>> within the last hour, president biden said he was convinced that russia's president vladimir putin has already made the decision to invade ukraine. the president is calling the situation a rapidly escalating crisis. >> the president spoke from the white house a short time ago saying he is making calls to a bipartisan group of lawmakers and vice president harris. he is broefg them on the situation. he said russia is starting to push more disinformation, planning a false flag operation. the president says that's where biden plans putin will blame ukraine of attacking pro-russian forces. >> we believe that they will target ukraine's capital kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people. we are calling out russia's plans loudly and repeatedly, not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything in our power to remove any reason that russia may give to justify inraiding ukraine and prevent this from moving. make no mistake. if russia pursues its plans, it

will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice. >> shortly before the president spoke deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology told reporters they believe russia is responsible for widespread signary attacks against ukrainian banks earlier this week. okay. here is the bay area our first post-pandemic parade is 26 hours away and excitement for the lunar new year parade is reverberating through san francisco. robert handa is in union square where there is some anxiety over attacks on the aapi community and whether the parade and its paradegoers will be safe. >> reporter: final preparations are underway here in san francisco's union square for saturday's parade where celebration, unity, and increased security will be a part of the festivities. the cable cars are awash in red

and gold. and the barricades are getting put in place. all in preparation for the chinese new year parade back after a year hiatus due to covid. but even as organizers get the floats ready for the year of the tiger celebration, the asian american and pacific islander communities are ready to step out in the parade again as well. >> so we're super excited about coming out. especially with all the attacks against asians, we are here to let people know we're not invisible, we have a voice and show people we are going to be out here. >> we understand hate. >> reporter: many asian and other groups will join together in the parade under the name we are one. they will also augment the heavy police presence with unique security arrangements of their own. >> we will have martial artists walking with us, also people trained in self-defense that will be able to step into action

if anything happens while we are walking. of course, we know how to communicate with the parade personnel to alert them of any problems that may occur. >> reporter: but the group says above all it's a celebration. >> i would like people to be happy, be joyful and loving. i want them to just enjoy this parade. >> reporter: a bit overshadowed is covid. and organizers say people should take precautions because it will be a big crowd. so in many aspects the goal here is to stay safe. in san francisco, robert handa, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. and you are looking live at one of our san francisco cams. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri joins us in about ten minutes with our weekend forecast. so far, looking good there on this friday. including what to expect if you are going to be heading to the lunar new year parade. the chinese new year parade is making a big splash on social media. here just some of the tweets that really discuss everything from the parade route to how to

get seats and even discuss some of the people who will be honored. by the way, the parade begins at 5:15 p.m. chinatown tomorrow. covid testing company is hoping to boost testing numbers in the bay area by setting up in the alameda county fairgrounds. kindly tests offered tests this morning. they say they are seeing a lower demand for testing recently, but it hopes this spot will test hundreds of people each day. the company works with a lab in hayward to process twess quickly with the help of a.i. >> it has more space. so i think safer for us and as well as people that are coming in and i think we can handle a lot bigger traffic. i mean, as a company, we can do about anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 tests a day. >> all right. a heads up. you don't need to sign up, but appointments be made on the fairgrounds woit. meantime, another metric the state is following right now is positivity rates and here is a

three-month snapshot. two months ago on december 19th we were at 3.4%. last month you see right there we skyrocketed to 20% and today we are closer to where we were in december at 5.4%. from mask rules to vaccine mandates, we are tracking the health orders for you. all you have to do is go to nbcbayarea.com and click on covid faq in the trending bar. we have put together a list of commonly asked questions and answers that are very helpful to help you move forward. all right. delayed again. it will now take longer and cost more before bart riders in san jose can hop op board. we have heard it before, right? this time it's coming from the federal government. here is scott budman with the reaction to the newest delay for bart to the south bay. >> reporter: i am here at the train station, one of the planned stops for bart when it gets to san jose. but a new report says it could take until 2034 to get here.

the federal transit administration says the plan to bring bart to san jose could now be $4 billion over vta's original budget and take four years longer. describing vta's plans to bring bart here as, quote, optimistic. but vta says it's still making progress and is good with fta's goals. >> over the next two years in advancing your design and as you do that demonstrate to us and present a more cost certain and schedule certain project. >> reporter: this is not the first time we've heard about bart delays. >> there is no question that this project is going to cost more and it's going to take longer. >> reporter: san jose mayor sam la cart a points out the fta helping to fund the extension, but warns that discussions about changing the way the tunnels are built will only make things take longer. >> so adding three years and

hundreds of millions of dollars of cost to this project because someone wants to switch horses midstream is not an optimal strategy to getting to the finish line. >> reporter: for now, vta says commuters should know bart is still on its way. >> i want commuters in the south bay and taxpayers in santa clara county to know that vta is working diligently to deliver this project and bring it in with, you know, the cost and the schedule that we can do that's best for the public. >> reporter: in san jose, scott budman, nbc bay area news. one step closer. the oakland a's may be month away from reaching an agreement with the city to build that new waterfront ballpark. now yesterday the city approved a 3,000 page environmental impact review for that new stadium and its plan. the vote clears a critical roadblock. there is lots of challenges ahead. two councilmembers voted against

certifying the report, including carol fifa. she represents the area where the a's want to build the stadium. now, the a's and the city's administrators are negotiating who will pay for millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and what community benefits the team is willing to provide. now, even though it is a big step forward, the oakland a's say they are still exploring the option of moving to vegas. >> we made offers on sites. so that's happening in parallel and until we get a final binding agreement it's going to be necessary. if not, we may have nowhere to play. >> i feel deeply frustrated that with all of the bending that the city is doing, we still can't get a clear answer. that stunt to me signal that you are rotted in oakland. >> the a's lease at the coliseum ends in two years. all right. let's talk about the schools in oakland now. there is new reason for hope for those trying to stop school closures in the city. the oakland unified school board is holding a meeting tonight to

consider dough laying part of the recently approved plan to close and merge schools. as nbc bay area's christie smith explains, opponents say this little victory is enough to change their tactics. >> i'm tired. i am hungry and i'm tired. it's been quite a journey. >> reporter: for 18 days two oakland educate on a hunger strike. today they have had a small victory. the school board is calling a special meeting to talking about delaying part of their recently approved plan to shutter schools. >> i believe that the hunger strike had a very big role. it had everything to do with why they are meeting tonight. but also the mobilization that we've seen. >> reporter: the hunger strikers

say they are planning a presentation tonight and a change in tactics. >> we are ending our hunger strike tonight at the end of that meeting. is that true? >> i don't want to say yes. but, yes. >> reporter: they stress this is not the end of the fight. just a new phase. >> we realize we are more important to our communities if we can stay and continue to be a voice for the voiceless. and we are committed to that. >> reporter: when we asked about the meeting the district put out a statement saying in part, many in the community have asked the board to consider moving the school consolidations scheduled for the end of this year to the end of the next year. the president wants to give the board the opportunity to consider this option. a new twist in a battle that's far from over. >> the community i just want to let you know that this fight's not over even though this might seem like an end. we are definitely committed to

this cause 100%. >> reporter: in oakland, christie smith, nbc bay area news. still ahead, what will you remember from these winter games? we are going to bring you the most memorable moments during this year's olympics as we count down to the closing ceremony. and one of the biggest stars of the games isn't even an athlete at all. what is causing pandemonium during the winter olympics? and i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a beautiful day. san jose right now at 67. i'll show you which day of the weekend is going to be best and when some thunderstorms could move back into northern california coming up in about eight minutes. right now, have we turned the corner in the pandemic? the mixed signals as more states go their ways. also, the fda warning involuntary recalls of baby formula, compounding short abilities. what you should know when we see you tonight. this is all your fault, bill! someone was always dropping the ball. and management just added insult to injury. ...and your breath stinks!

yeah, things got hairy. this isn't working! and it all went downhill. with all those fires to put out. ahhhhhhhhh! this is a much better way to work. agreed.

care coalition, it's so good to see you all! alright! let's brainstorm. any ideas for new members? i'd like to nominate alaska airlines. this neck pillow i'm dating says great things! a caring airline?! wait, those exist?! it says here they were the first airline to switch from plastic bottles to boxed water. they also hire a lot of people from caring professions. i'm seeing former teachers and nurses. it's settled! alaska airlines is officially in the running! round of applause! i've been making yogurt that is less sweet and high in protein since 2005. now we're doing the same for plant based. still rich and creamy. plant-based siggi's: more protein and less sugar than leading yogurt alternatives. were you able to see it? it was a big moment at the olympic games for eileen gu.

the first-time olympian won another medal. this time in the halfpipe. 18-year-old dominated scoring five points above the silver medalist. she got more air than anyone, landed all her tricks. gu had already won gold in big air and a silver in slopestyle. >> all i want to do now is lay in a dark room, put my phone on airplane mode and sleep or days and days and days. i am so happy. >> gu, who has faced both criticism and support for representing china instead of the u.s., made history at the winter games. she is now the first freeskier, male or female, two win three medals in a single olympics. >> gu's stunning success and that controversy over her medaling for china is just one of the many big headlines out of the these winter games. >> there are many other smaller stories, right? the moments that make the olympics the spectacle that they are. we have been making sure those stories don't fall through the

tracks. what are the top ten moments? >> it was tough. getting it down to just ten, you know, shaun white breaking down in tears after his last olympic competition didn't make the cut. neither did the skier who lost his chance at gold after taking a wrong turn. here's what did. we begin appropriately enough at the opening ceremony. at number ten, summing up on instagram what so many athletes must have been feeling. mama, i made it. >> just thinking about my family. it brought tears to my eyes. >> moms, at number nine, katelyn nordgren, wiem of team usa leif nordgren, became one during the games. he returns home to something much more valuable than a medal. her name is assist trid. number eight, this camera. we never see the photographer who dropped it on an alpine ski course but can only imagine what a difficult phone call that was to the bosses. it's easier to go down. harder to go up.

number seven, skier lee was disqualified. she wasn't going to deny herself the full olympic experience so hiked up. bolsonaro /* bolshunov tried to fix it, but failed so best just to pretend it didn't happen. which is just what chinese soldiers had to do time and time again in beijing. at number five, all the times their flag flipping during medal ceremonies didn't go as expected. number four belongs to those who put their bodies on the line for the sake of the games. we don't mean the athletes. hockey refs took it on the chin more than once, as did this cameraman atop the halfpipe. >> if anybody has some snacks -- >> chloe kim is an olympic moment making machine. i will have to settle on just one at number three, kim announcing to the world's media

she was hungry after winning gold and asking if they had my snacks to share. number two the best coined of olympic molt. the sportsmanship kind. carlos quintana crossed the finish line 20 minutes behind the winner, but who waited all that time to greet him? well, the gold medalist himself. >> 40 years old. i mean, i'm running out of the chances. >> number one, the lows and highs of team usa snowboarder nick baumgartner. after missing out on a medal in his first race, he shed tears on tv because it hurt so much. it was us with tears in our eyes when just days later we got to watch an extremes finally come true. audrey, jessica, i came up with ten. do you have any that are your favorites? you can go off the board with something you will remember from the olympics. >> i don't know if it's my favorite because it was so painful. it's not a positive one. for me, i will remember these olympics for that last skate for

the russian 15-year-old valiyeva because you really -- it really crystalized for me that one -- these people are human beings, right, with feelings and expectations. and that she was really a child. you know, there was so much pressure on her. the first couple of the days when we talked about doping. i think we lost sight she is just a kid. in that moment, you saw it and it was painful as a mother to watch. >> it was so difficult to watch that. definitely broke my heart. and i think i have been crying so much during the olympics because of your stories. and my favorite would have to be your number one, nick baumgartner. he was emotional, saying this is my last chance and he ended up winning a medal the very end. that was incredible. >> yeah, stories like that you can't script that. that's what we love about the olympics. you never know which turns and twists it's going to take along the way. >> when they say the agony of defeat, they mean it. thank you very much. >> thanks, guys. >> thanks. over to jeff, let's talk about the weekend is finally here. it's going to be sunny.

we can go out and pretend we are olympians. >> exactly. do some winter sports, maybe outside. we could kind of switch it up a little bit somehow. >> try to do something. >> yeah, exactly. all right. let's get you a look outside to our sky camera network in san francisco and the one thing we managed to see today is some high clouds passing by. but this was nothing that really kept you from going outside. it's just been beautiful. so let's go ahead and take you around the bay and get you a look at what we've got happening. the next couple of hours, san francisco currently at 60 degrees. down to 50s once we roll into 6 and 7:00 with a mix of some sun and also those clouds. by the way, from oakland to hayward to fremont, 65 right now. down to chillier 50s at 6 and 7:00. and through the inland valleys it was cooler today but still very comfortable. 67 across the inland valleys with sunshine and we're down to a chilly 56 at 7:00 p.m. if you are headed out for some dinner, drinks, catch up with friends, get-togethers, make

sure you have that jacket later on this evening. now, as you roll through tomorrow morning i wanted to show you we are going to start it off on the sunny side. check this out. as we move through the day, no clouds expected to move across except a little bit near san francisco. overall, i think saturday is definitely the best day of weekend. we'll begin with 42 in the tri-valley, peninsula 45, south bay at 44. don't forget about you over to the east bay, # 4 as well. 48 in san francisco and the north bay 40. so we start off cold and then the way the weather patterns move tomorrow we will see a substantial jump. we are back in the 70s and that's why again i'm calling for saturday to be the best day of the weekend. check tout in the south bay. if we can't get the rainfall, at least we have enjoyable temperatures. 72 san jose and 74 in gilroy and that continues. over to the east bay, 70 martinez, 72 pleasanton. the peninsula, yeah, you're getting in on 70s, redwood cityd

north bay maybe some 71, napa, . seven-day forecast, we have been telling you about maybe thunderstorms and showers next week. looks like a slight chance now on tuesday and wednesday. but the real thing will be impact bid the dramatic cooling from 72 on saturday to 56 on tuesday's forecast. as we get closer, we will update you on that thunderstorm chance tuesday and wednesday. again, saturday looking really good. really, really good. >> thank you very much, jeff. >> you got it. coming up, innovating for the future. how bay area s.t.e.m. students are developing a new device to help musicians with disabilities.

in new york city, ♪ ♪ there's always something new to discover. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ come be a part of it. plan your next vacation at iloveny.com

here's one for you. inventing technologies for social good. >> eights wonderful goal there. a group of s.t.e.m. students creating a device hope will help change the life of a guitar

player and more people with disabilities in the future. project innovation is helping make it a reality. >> inside the s.t.e.m. classroom at santa clara high school these ninth graders aren't solving problems for reading books. they are inventing. >> today we are working on a circuit of our design. >> reporter: they are creating a device for a local guitar player struggling to perform due to multiple sclerosis. >> a glove helps him by clamping down on the guitar pick and helps him hold it so he can play easier. >> reporter: they plan to present it to him in a few weeks. their teacher very proud. >> empathy. empathy. it's huge. which is something that our program does. and this is one way we do it. >> reporter: made possible by the non-profit project invent, working high school to invent technologies that make a difference. con you any lou it in 2018 when she was a high school

program of students can identify real problems that they care the world and build new solutions. >> reporter: the goal, create, change lives and reach more classrooms. a grant program from nbc and our parent company comcast is helping make it a reality. project innovation is a grant program recognizing local non-profit organizations that are tackling everyday problems through innovative solutions. >> we received $30,000 from project innovation and it's been able to help us double the number of schools since our last year. >> reporter: project invent is now in 60 schools across the u.s., including more than half a dozen here in the bay area. >> it's very exciting to see the world doing this for young people because that's the world that we're building. >> great work there. are you or someone you know the next innovator? we want to help you out.

applications for the next round of project inovation grants being accepted now. for more information head to our website.

the biggest star at the olympics as in big for real, may not be one the athletes, another heated competition going on to grab a doll. this is bing dwen dwen, the larger than life mascot in beijing. some fans waited six hours in line to get their hands on a bing dwen dwen doll. janelle wang got one for her daughter on day two and she waited 40 minutes. >> in line at 4:00 a.m. to get one of those? >> probably. >> reporter: for your daughter? >> yes. anything for her. i would have to, like, ditch work on my lunch for this. >> reporter: sorry, guys, 11:00 p.m. live shot. i can't do it. >> you can watch the full story on the mania surrounding the

mascot right here at the "olympic zone" at 4:30. a look at what's coming up tonight. two women bobsled featuring elana meyers taylor and freestyle skiing, the action at 5:00 right here on nbc bay area. and "nightly news" with lester holt is next and we will be back at 4:00. see you then. . breaking news tonight. president biden saying he is now convinced vladimir putin has decided to invade ukraine. the president at the white house saying the u.s. believes the russians will attack in the coming days. but leaving the door open for diplomacy. in eastern ukraine, the escalation. what's happening on the ground there tonight. also this evening, the former officer who says she mistook her gun for her taser when she killed daunte wright sentenced to two years, for a less than what prosecutors asked for. the judge tearing up on the bench, saying kim potter made a tragic mistake. the outrage from