and i'm raj mathai. a multi-billion dollar legal settlement could provide san francisco and all of california a big boost in the fight against opioid abuse. we know that the city's new mayor, daniel lurie, has dubbed the fentanyl overdoses an epidemic. nbc's christy smith has the details. we've reached a historic $7.4 billion settlement in principle. california attorney general rob bonta made the announcement today in collaboration with a coalition of 15 states with members of the sackler family and their former company, purdue pharma, for their instrumental role in fueling the opioid crisis. the company and family made the agreement, but it still needs approval. california is expected to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the settlement. we can use settlement funds for treatment and prevention strategies going forward and, crucially, to keep more people from falling victim, purdue pharma said in a statement in part, we are extremely pleased that a new agreement has been reached that will deliv

raj mathai joins us now with what's coming up next at 530. here's what we're working on on this busy monday evening. two san francisco cops are recovering after crashing following a pursuit. we have new video of the chase gone wrong and details of what led up to all of this. also, our coverage of the southern california wildfires continues. our political analyst, larry gerston, is here talking about the rift between president elect trump and governor newsom, what it will mean for california. can it get assistance it desperately needs? and for the final time, as first lady jill biden visits the bay area, what she plans on doing here before next week's inauguration. the news at 530 starts right now. thanks so much for joining us. i'm janelle wang and i'm raj mathai. we begin with the wild scene in san francisco. a chase, a crash, and two sfpd officers ending up in the hospital. two people who the cops were chasing were also taken to the hospital and then arrested. here's nbc's sergio quintana. a small crew of emergency damage workers spent the

and i'm raj mathai. even before the inauguration, we are seeing the impact of the incoming trump agenda. his promise of mass deportation is causing a ripple effect here in california. last week, we reported on an operation involving immigration agents down in kern county. now, the california farm bureau says migrant farm workers aren't showing up for work. and that could threaten our upcoming citrus prices. here's nbc's damian trujillo. ag leaders say the result of those fears is higher food prices, because there will be no one to harvest the crops. those ag leaders are watching closely what will happen after monday's inauguration. it's the peak of the citrus harvest season in kern county right now, but the industry is taking a hit after immigration agents conducted several operations last week targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. the california farm bureau reports that the action made some ag workers too afraid to show up for work, bringing the area's citrus harvest to a virtual halt

and i'm raj mathai. not the news that we want to hear. this disaster continues to unfold. multiple wildfires continue to rage across southern california. more than 30,000 acres have been burned this week, most of that driven by the palisades and eaton fires. that's an area larger than the city of san francisco. nearly 200,000 people have left their homes. la officials also confirming at least 11 people have now died. that death toll, sadly, is expected to climb as firefighters continue to make progress. the eaton fire. this is near pasadena and altadena is the lowest containment right now at 3%. cal fire has made good progress, but admit a lot more work is ahead. the thousands of firefighters on the front lines will soon get more help. today, governor newsom confirmed mexico is sending som

i'm gia vang and i'm raj mathai. this day was filled with pomp and circumstance and a clear message to the country and the world about america's peaceful transition of power. tonight, a change of wardrobe and a different vibe as

i'm janelle wang and i'm raj mathai. his first 24 hours might be a roadmap to his first 100 days in office. a lot of proposed changes coming from the oval office. one of president trump's many executive orders is sparking some confusion when it comes to some passports. let's bring in nbc's scott budman with the details. scott, what do you have? well, raj, for about two years now, americans have been able to choose one of three options. when selecting sex on their passports. they could select male, female or x, but that executive order signed by the president yesterday will soon require passports to reflect the sex of the traveler as either male or female. suddenly, some travel plans are marked with uncertainty. if, like faye johnstone, your passport is marked with an x, i'm heading to europe in may. i do have an x on my passport. president trump's

i'm janelle wang and i'm raj mathai. his first 24 hours might be a roadmap to his first 100 days in office. a lot of proposed changes coming from the oval office. one of president trump's many executive orders is sparking some confusion when it comes to some passports. let's bring in nbc's scott budman with the details. scott, what do you have? well, raj, for about two years now, americans have been able to choose one of three options. when selecting sex on their passports. they could select male, female or x, but that executive order signed by the president yesterday will soon require passports to reflect the sex of the traveler as either male or female. suddenly, some travel plans are marked with uncertainty. if, like faye johnstone, your passport is marked with an x, i'm heading to europe in may. i do have an x on my passport. president trump's new executive order about sex and gender identifiers will eliminate x as an option on passports and any other federal documents, starting 30 days from now. i've had negative ex

and i'm raj mathai. in the coming days, santa clara county will decide if it wants to ban artificial turf on county land. it would mean some fields and other recreational areas would eventually have to replace their turf with grass. let's bring in investigative reporter candice nguyen. candice, we recently reported on this battle over plastic turf, and now supervisors are expected to take action. supporters say the ban is a way to get rid of potentially dangerous toxins in plastic turf. critics say health concerns are overblown, and a turf ban would leave fewer fids for kids to play on. this is clearly a very important issue to our community to protect our health. surrounded by experts and advocates. supervisor otto lee drumming up support for next week's vote to ban artificial turf on santa clara county land. if approved, it would not force the removal of fake turf. but when the turf wears out or leases expire, the plastic would get swapped out for grass. those chemicals of concern some of them are know

and i'm raj mathai.ulti-billion dollar legal settlement could provide san francisco and all of califor

i'm audrey asistio and i'm raj mathai. a republican state senator is demanding answers about california's new 911 system. the half billion dollar project is called nextgen 911. it's been delayed, and now deployment is on hold. after investigative reporter candice nguyen uncovered major safety concerns. candice is here with an update. raj, audrey. questions are mounting for the state office of emergency services. questions from us, then police chiefs and sheriffs across california. and now a state lawmaker. so my call for action through the letter is really to let the office of emergency services know that we are watching. in her letter to california officef emergency services director nancy ward, state senator marie alvarado-gil recognized the wildfires burning in los angeles, saying it'ss in this vein that she's writing about a closely related issue. the state's next generation 911 system that's currently on hold. what happened with this rollout is we had dropped calls. we had calls coming in from out of the area, from ne

i'm raj mathai. and i'm audrey asistio.ighght is far from over in los angeles as major fires continue to burn across southern california. although firefighters have been able to make some progress in the battle against the palisades and eaton fires. last tuesday, the palisades fire sparked in pacific palisades between santa monica and malibu. so far, flames have scorched more than 23,000 acres, but the fire didn't actually grow overnight. containment is at 19%, up slightly from this time yesterday. the eaton fire in altadena has burned more than 14,000 acres. it's 45% contained since the flames broke out last week. the eaton and palisades fires have claimed the lives of 25 people, with 88,000 people still evacuated from their homes. meanwhile, many celebrities and l.a. natives have spent their time helping evacuees. today, actress eva longoria volunteered at a resource center in pasadena, handing out all sorts of supplies there to those who can't get home. two major fires have destroyed an estimated 10,000 structures, leavi

and i'm raj mathai. here's a sobering warning. social workers in the south bay are saying staffing levels are so low that local families are at risk. tonight, they're pointing to a case where an infant died due to fentanyl poisoning. as an example of why they need more resources and quickly. nbc's ian cull explains santa clara county employees were greeted by a rally of social workers as they walked into work this morning. those social workers are calling for increased staffing, saying they're critical to preventing future tragedies. we have a high vacancy rate and staffing shortages, and we are not able to meet the demands and the needs of the children and families in our county. they specifically brought up the case of baby phoenix. she was a three month old girl found in a south bay apartment littered with opioids in may 2023. she died of a fentanyl overdose. the county said officers and social workers had responded to the home multiple times before the death, but the baby was never removed from her parents custody. the group s

and i'm raj mathai. here's a sobering warning.ial workers in the south bay are saying staffing levels are so low that local families are at risk. tonight, they're pointing to a case where an infant died due to fentanyl poisoning. as an example of why they need more resources and quickly. nbc's ian cull explains santa clara county employees were greeted by a rally of social workers as they walked into work this morning. tho

raj mathai joins us now with what's coming up next at 530. here's what we're working on as we head into this holiday weekend with president elect trump's inauguration just a few days away. california's attorney general is trying to make sure everyone in the state is on the same page when it comes to dealing with the new administration, how he plans on implementing it. also, after more than 100 years, an iconic restaurant in san francisco's chinatown is close to shutting down the last ditch effort to keep it open. and not many dry eyes in the house as a young bay area girl is triumphant in her battle against cancer. the news at 530 starts right now. thanks so much for joining us. i'm janelle wang and i'm raj mathai. the trump immigration policy could kick in on day one. and day one is next monday. today, california's attorney general was in san francisco to ouine what the state's police and sheriff's departments should and shouldn't be doing when it comes to handling federal immigration and deportation issues. nbc's christie smith explains. i

and i'm raj mathai. in the coming days, santa clara county will decide if it wants to ban artificial turf on county land. it would mean some fields and other recreational areas would eventually have to replace their turf with grass. let's bring in investigative reporter candice nguyen. candice, we recently reported on this battle over plastic turf, and now supervisors are expected to take action. supporters say the ban is a way to get rid of potentially dangerous toxins in plastic turf. critics say health concerns are overblown, and a turf ban would leave fewer fids for kids to play on. this is clearly a very important issue to our community to protect our health. surrounded by experts and advocates. supervisor otto

i'm raj mathai. and i'm jessica aguirre. breaking news from tiktok tonight. the social media company says it will go dark on sunday unless the biden administration steps in. this comes as tiktok moves closer to being kicked out of the u.s. today, the supreme court upheld a ban on the company, but there are signs that it may somehow stay alive. here's our business and tech reporter scott budman. justice is in the knighton aaa. the dance party may be over for millions. tiktokers upset after the supreme court upheld the january 19th. sell or be banned order for the chinese owned

i'm gia vang and i'm raj mathai. this day was filled with pomp and circumstance and a clear message to the country and the world about america's peaceful transition of power. tonight, a change of wardrobe and a different vibe as the celebration and the parties begin. in fact, let's go out live to washington, d.c. this is a live look at the commander in chief ball. this is at a convention center out there in washington, one of the many parties and balls tonight to celebrate the 45th and 47th president of the united states. country band rascal flatts will perform along with singer parker mccollum. president trump just left the oval office and is expected to head over to this commander in chief ball. he is expected to speak with the crowd and all the vips who are there. really. it's been a busy first day for the president. started at the u.s. capitol rotunda, where mr. trump and vice president vance took the oath of office. both men surrounded by their friends and family. he got right to work, signing a series of execut

and i'm raj mathai. a lot happening on this wednesday evening. let's start in southern

i'm raj mathai. a lot happening on this wednesday evening here in town, down in la and at the white house. let's begin in the south bay. a gut wrenching story involving students at hollister high school. three classmates died in a car crash. the chp says they were among four people traveling on shore road in gilroy around 7:00 last night. their car veering into oncoming traffic and hitting another vehicle. three students died, but a fourth person survived and was rushed to a local hospital. paramedics also took the driver of the other car to the hospital. investigators are still trying to figure out what happened, why this car veered into the other lanes. the students identities have not been released, but word spread quickly at hollister high. when i got the news of this. at first we didn't have the ids yet, so once we got the ids, it was it was heartbreaking. you know, you go through that little bit of shock and then you're ultimately jumping into, okay, now we've got to help support our students,

this is nbc bay area news tonight, i'm raj mathai. it is coming fast. the first 24 hours of the trump presidency likely to be a road map for his first 100 days. we'll bring in california's attorney general in just a few moments. but we want to start with an update in alameda county. it is the final stages of determining who's going to replace the recalled district attorney, pamela price. the board of supervisors holding a special meeting today to publicly interview the seven finalistsor this important role. safe. that's the group responsible for recall efforts against the former d.a. price is endorsing two of the seven candidates. alameda county superior court judge ursula jones dixon and contra costa county assistant d.a. annie esposito. all seven candidates made their final pitches t today before taking questions from the supervisors and the public. now, the recall group and families of victims say they want a da that's going to fight for them. i just hope that the board of supervisors really makes the right choice, and that they're really think about

this is nbc bay area news tonight i'm raj mathai. there is some encouraging news in the fire zones. very little new fire activity around the palisades fire. but the red flags are still up. jeff is tracking the wind and warnings. we'll get to jeff and our coverage in just a moment. we want to start, though, with some of our local headlines that we're tracking. a two year old girl is in critical condition after getting caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. this happened in vallejo. and that is alarming. you can hear the gunfire. that's video captured by a neighbor's surveillance camera. the gun battle left bullet holes across the neighborhood. vallejo pd tells us the toddler and her mom just driving through the area of moorpark avenue and sawyer street on sunday night. that's when at least one bullet hit the two year old girl. bullets also narrowly missed an eight year old boy sitting on his couch at home. our officers are determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice. this is a sad and senseless act of violence and it is uncalled for and it will not be tolerated i

good evening, i'm raj mathai. we begin the week with the grim reality down in southern california as crews search for more bodies. they're also preparing for more wind. and that means possibly more homes and lives threatened. let's start with the palisades fire. it's burned almost 24,000 acres from pacific palisades to malibu. evacuation orders expanded over the weekend into brentwood, encino and westwood. westwood is where ucla is. containment is at 14%. this fire is believed to have takenight lives so far. let's switch our graphic now to the east in pasadena and altadena. the eaton fire has burned more than 14,000 acres. containment stands at 33%. this fire has taken at least 16 lives and damaged or destroyed an estimated 12,000 structures. most of those structures are homes in total. these fires have now taken 24 lives. earlier today, our sky ranger spotted arson investigators near where the palisades fire started, which was last tuesday. you see them down below. they are looking into any indications of how thi

raj mathai joins us now with what's coming up next at 530. we have a lot going on here.is this a sign of things to come? the citrus harvest has been halted in parts of the central valley because migrant farm workers are afraid to show up to work for fear of being deported. this is happening right before the inauguration of president elect trump. a young southay

i'm raj mathai. venture capitalists stepping up to help. and the guidance from an immigration lawyer about the looming ice raids. those stories just ahead. but we begin with an update on the case of alexis. gabe? that's the woman from contra costa county who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. alexis gabe was killed in 2022 after going to antioch to visit her ex-boyfriend, marshall jones. in june of that year, law enforcement shot and killed marshall jones in the state of washington while trying to arrest him for gabe's murder. gabe's family has been pushing for marshall jones's mother, alicia coleman clark, to be charged as an accessory. they say police showed them evidence proving she helped cover up the crime. tonight, the da's office says there is not enough evidence that the mom was involved. this weekend is the third anniversary of alexis gabe's death, and also the end of the statute of limitations. that means charges against the mother can no longere filed. another headline tonight, here comes president trump. he's coming to california

i'm raj mathai. and i'm jessica aguirre. breaking news from tiktok tonight. the social media company says it will go dark on sunday unless the biden administration steps in. this comes as tiktok moves closer to being kicked out of the u.s. today, the supreme court upheld a ban on the company, but there are signs that it may somehow stay alive. here's our business and tech reporter scott budman. justice is in the knighton aaa. the dance party may be over for millions. tiktokers upset after the supreme court upheld the january 19th. sell or be banned order for the chinese owned social media company. the supreme court's ruling, of course, is a very real, authoritative say and a kind of line in the sand about the constitutionality of the law. but like some of the shows on the site itself, this is turning into a political soap opera with democrats and republicans who both recently supported the ban, now saying they may not enforce it. president biden says he will leave it to the incoming trump administration to make the final call. but there are so many other poli

this is nbc bay area news tonight, i'm raj mathai. when will this all come to an end? and how much more emotional trauma can they handle down in the l.a. area? we start with the new developments in this unprecedented firestorm. the wildfires are showing no signs of stopping. this is video from our nbc chopper of the palisades fire. you can see the active flames there in the rugged area of the santa monica mountains. there are neighborhoods below, and a shift in the wind could make it dangerous and even a more dangerous situation. a series of fires have burned more than 30,000 acres now and destroyed 12,000 structures. this map shows where the largest fires are at this moment. that includes the palisades fire, which burned the pacific palisades and parts of malibu, and the eaton fire, which roared through altadena. the most immediate threat seems to be on the front lines of the palisades fire this afternoon. you see there homeowners near topanga state park using hoses, shovels and sprinklers just to protect their homes while firefighters continue to attack the flames fr

i'm audrey asistio and i'm raj mathai. a republican state senator is demanding answers about california's new 911 system. the half billion dollar project is called nextgen 911. it's been delayed, and now deployment is on hold. after investigative reporter candice nguyen uncovered major safety concerns. candice is here with an update. raj, audrey. questions are mounting for

i'm raj mathai. our exclusive reporting about the state's new 911 system and the local college that just shut down all of its sports teams. we'll get to those stories just ahead. we start, though, with an update to our breaking news. another big wildfire down in southern california. here's what we know at this minute. it's burning north of santa clarita in castaic. you can see the flames glowing here right behind me. interstate five at the grapevine is slowly reopening after the chp shut down the freeway for a couple hours as a precaution. let's take a live look. now, this is called the hughes fire. it sparked this morning around 10:30 a.m. it quickly grew to more than 9000 acres. this is a live look from one of our nbc choppers down south. this is near magic mountain, and so far there is zero containment. more than 31,000 people have been evacuated. that includes schools and even a nearby jail. the good news right now, though, no homes are threatened, but teams are making sure everyone stays clear o

this is nbc bay area news tonight i'm raj mathai. could the slumping warriors ever trade steph curry? our warriors insiders are with us. they'll join us in a few minutes. we'll also get to our crews in the fire zone down in la. but we start with the highly publicized story on the peninsula. a teenager convicted in a deadly crash has learned his fate. that crash happened back in 2022. two cars were racing along el camino real in redwood city. security camera video caught one of the drivers plowing into an unrelated car. you see a photo here of a mom and dad inside that car. they were killed. their twin daughters, who were in the back seat, survived. in november, a judge found the driver guilty of vehicular manslaughter today. the now 19 year old was sentenced to three months of electronic home monitoring. the court will review the sentence after 90 days. the other driver in the crash is expected to be sentenced next month. also tonight, president elect donald trump says he'll order mass deportations beginning day one. day one is next

raj mathai joins us now with what's coming up next at 530.'s what we're working on on this busy monday evening. two san francisco cops are recovering after crashing following a pursuit. we have new video of the chase gone wrong and details of what led up to all of this. also, our coverage of the southern california wildfires continues. our political analyst, larry gerston, is here talking about the rift between president elect trump and governor newsom, what it will mean for california. can it get assistance it desperately needs? and for the final time, as first lady jill biden visits the bay area, what she plans on doing here before next week's inauguration.

i'm raj mathai. we are heading into one of the most significant weekends of the year, the inauguration of president elect donald trump. is this the beginning of a republican wave of california politics? we'll go to washington, d.c. in just a few minutes. let's start, though, with the legal bombshell for oakland's former mayor. sheng thao. today, federal prosecutors unsealed an eight count indictment against thao and her boyfriend, andre jones. there's tao this morning. also in this indictment, two members of the duong family, the duong's, are a powerful east bay family that own multiple businesses, including a prefab housing company and a recycling company contracted by the city of oakland. the indictment comes months after the fbi raided tao's home while she was mayor. prosecutors claim tao and her boyfriend, jones, agreed to steer business to the duong's in exchange for money and other perks. the multi year long investigation also alleges that the duong's and an unnamed coconspirator were behind a

and i'm raj mathai. not the news that we want to hear. this disaster continues to unfold. multiple wildfires continue to rage across southern california. more than 30,000 acres have been burned this week, most of that driven by the palisades and eaton fires. that's an area larger than the city of san francisco. nearly 200,000 people have left their homes. la officials also confirming at least 11 people have now died. that death toll, sadly, is expected to climb as firefighters continue to make progress. the eaton fire. this is near pasadena and altadena is the lowest containment right now at 3%. cal fire has made good progress, but admit a lot more work is ahead. the thousands of firefighters on the front lines will soon get more help. today, governor newsom confirmed mexico is sending some fire crews. the biggest of the fires is the palisades fire, which is 8% contained this evening. more than 21,000 acres have burned, along with an estimated 5000 structures. most of those structures are homes. la's mayor, karen bass, wants to make sure people are taking advantage, taking

i'm raj mathai. we started this week with the inauguration in washington, dc, and we end this week with president trump visiting california. his visit to l.a. wrapping up just about now. air force one, about to take off from lax. we'll show you in just a moment. he was here for about four hours, and he did a lot. here's how it all shook down the president landing late this afternoon on air force one. first lady melania trump with him right there. you see governor newsom greeting mr. trump on the tarmac. a quick conversasation, arief embrace before answering a few questions. i appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me, kevin. we very much. and we'll be talking a little bit. we want to get it fixed. we want to get the problem fixed for the. thank you for being here. it means a great deal to all of us and not just the folks in palisades, the folks in altadena that were devastated. we're going to need your support. we're going to need your help. you were there for us during covid. i don't forget

good evening, i'm raj mathai. lot of pride and a lot of emotion for millions of americans tonight, the peaceful transition of power and the nation. also remembering the legacy of doctor martin luther king. we will start with president trump back in the oval office and already taking big swings. rules are changing as we speak. there are also parties happening as we speak, filled with vips. here's a live look inside the liberty ball. that's country singer jason aldean, who's been on stage for the last 20 or 30 minutes. president trump is expected to address this crowd and attd this party within the hour. we believe as friends, family members, big money donors and other politicians, they are all part of these big opening galas here. mr. trump will then go to another ball afterward. and keep in mind, it's 10 p.m. eastern time and washington, d.c. is in full party mode. it wasn't all celebrations, though. president trump got down to business signing a series of executive orders. you see him there back inside the oval o

com raj mathai moving the bay area forward this week. lots of batteries, all stored in the same place can lead to disaster. the future of the warehouse near your home plus crypto mania. author andrew chu on trump's push to win the bitcoin vote. and former google exec frederick fert on preparing yourself for the future. that's this week on press here. good morning everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. as someone who covers technology for a living, i deal with the future pretty much every day. the next iphone developments in ai and what it means for jobs and education. green energy that may someday save the planet for our grandchildren. so i am constantly looking at new ideas, future ready, i would think. but i kind of suspect there will come aay when i am old enough that i will say, okay, that's enough, because that's what we do as humans. we reach some point in our old age and we quit learning things and adapting and adopting, and it all seems too much. and i don't want to do that, which is why i want to hear from frederick fert, who teaches peopl

com raj mathai moving the bay area forward this week.