. right now at 5:00, san francisco mayor london breed touching down at sfo. what she's saying about her experience in china after getting up close with pandas that could soon be calling the

s.f. zoo home. also, the price for a gallon of gas nearly hitting $8 at one station in one bay area city. how the white house plans to address the latest uptick in prices at the pump. a whale carcass spotted in san francisco, what wildlife officials are telling us about that whale and their plans to get it out of the water. the news at 5:00 starts now. i'm terry mcsweeney. gia has the night off. mayor breed back home in san francisco after a weeklong visit to china. the mayor, who is running for re-election, spent her time meeting with business leaders, airline executives and government officials. she said her goal was to strengthen business and cultural ties with china. she touched down at sfo earlier this afternoon. shortly after landing, she talked to reporters, calling her trip a success, pointing to her announcement that pandas will be returning to the city. the mayor says she got to see pandas in person during her

visit, and she's very excited to share that experience with san francisco. >> it was the first time i actually saw in a panda in person, and it was amazing. it was amazing to see them walk, to eat, to sit up, to pick up things with their hands and to look directly at us as they were eating as if they were wondering why we were looking at them while they were trying to eat. it was a really cool experience. >> the timeline for the pandas arrival in san francisco has not been set and the mayor's office says they'll come once the panda enclosure at the san francisco zoo is complete. governor newsom responding to arizona's recent abortion ban with an offer of help. he's blasting alabama republicans who want to punish women who travel for reproductive care. >> i'm going to need you to step out of the vehicle, take a pregnancy test. >> newsom's political action committee paid for that ad, which shows a woman and her

friend a mile from the state line, they breathe a sigh of relief. but then a police car lights them up, lights and siren. the ad urges viewers to stop the idea of criminalizing travel for an abortion. newsom also talked about his goal to offer arizona abortion providers an expedited way to get licensed in california. this is after arizona's supreme court upheld an 1864 abortion ban. >> right now, a big part of my focus and why i'm so focused on arizona and providing doctors from arizona the ability to come into california through emergency legislation we'll introduce with our women's caucus this week, is to address the crisis at hand with that law that will go into effect on may 1st to provide access to women and girls that are fleeing the state of arizona and to focus on arizona electorally. >> california is bracing for a wave of patients seeking an abortion from arizona and other states where abortion is being limited following the supreme court's overturning of roe v.

wade. speaking of the supreme court, tomorrow it takes on a debate on homelessness, a debate that began in a small oregon town. the justices are set to hear arguments over whether cities can arrest or fine people for camping in public spaces. this could make a huge impact nationally. the case comes out of grants pass, a town of about 40,000 people in southern oregon. from 2013 to 2018, it issued hundreds of citations for people camping or sleeping in public. in 2018, the 9th circuit court of appeals ruled it violated the eighth amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment to cite people who had nowhere else to go. the ruling could have a huge impact on the unhoused in the bay area. wildlife officials working to remove a dead whale floating in san francisco bay off of alameda county. the 40 foot long gray whale was first spotted yesterday near crown memorial state beach. officials say it was stuck in mud. it is now free floating with the

tide. the mammal center said it is working to tow the carcass to angel island state park. this is not the whale we were watching off the coast of the bay area a few weeks ago. this is the first whale found dead in san francisco bay this year. this whale was spotted near pacifica. wildlife officials say the one in alameda is definitely a different one. san francisco's parks and rec department is thanking everyone who celebrated 420 at hippie hill yesterday. the department posted this picture online of a clean and pristine park. this is one day after the big festivities. that's clean. the celebration went on as usual at golden gate park this year despite the sanctioned event being canceled because of a lack of funding. hippie hill has always been a popular spot on the unofficial

cannabis holiday. no reports of any issues. it appears everyone did a good job of keeping the park clean. the kickoff to earth week now under way. events are already happening around the bay area this weekend. that of course includes san francisco. here's nbc bay area's christie smith. >> reporter: the sun was shining as people came out to celebrate earth day at the san francisco botanical garden. >> it's a community event that's open to everybody who attends the garden today. we have activities for children, story time, and also we have wonderful products for sale that highlight our sustainable mission here at the gardens. >> reporter: families came too, hoping to spark that interest. >> it's very important, i believe, for especially younger generations, you know, to com post, to recycle, and to really help the earth. ♪♪ >> reporter: and across the city, there was plenty to do, see, and learn at the new farm. >> the reason why earth day san

francisco came to the new farm is because it's earth day every day here. >> reporter: people at the community-run space had a full day planned of music, speakers, fashion, and more. >> every year, we gather together for earth day san francisco in order to do not just a festival and a party, but also a teach-in. so every earth day represents an opportunity to learn both about sustainable living for yourself but also how to become active and what to do. >> we sell personal care products and refills. >> reporter: one local business that helps people live more sustainably is the daisy refillry. >> we are a refillry. it's still a very new concept, but the whole idea is you can bring in your own bottles, refill on a bunch of amazing things. >> reporter: a small step people can take to help work toward a greater earth. christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> our earth week coverage

continues all week long on nbc bay area, from all the celebrations happening across the bay area to stories in our climate in crisis series like how to minimize your food waste and a look at a north bay company using a.i. to maximize recycling. we'll have it all every day beginning at 5:00 a.m. on "today in the bay." not a good look at the pumps these days. i bet you've noticed already. cost of gas on the way up again across the country. of course we're paying more than anywhere else here in the bay area, pretty much anywhere else. this is just how much we're paying, almost $8 for premium at this gas station in menlo park. video showing the current price for a gallon of regular, $7.29. $7.79 for premium. of course that gas station clearly the outlier in all this. the average price of gas across the state right now, $5.43. that's a 48 cent increase over this time just last month. here in the bay area, it's $5.68 in san francisco. $5.58 in oakland.

$5.53 in san jose. last week the white house said it is focused on keeping gas prices affordable and would consider tapping into the strategic petroleum reserve once again if warranted. up next, new details on that crash involving a tram at universal studios in southern california. tonight authorities are giving more details into what may have led up to that crash, leaving 15 people hurt. plus a celebration deemed the toilet bowl. why one san francisco neighborhood is applauding the opening of a public restroom and the controversy leading up to its opening. i hope you're enjoying this beautiful day around the bay area. our microclimate temperatures, 60s in san francisco to 80s out there in livermore. this is the warmest day of the upcoming week. we'll talk about those cooling changes and the hint of rain coming up in that seven-day forecast. coming up tonight, we'll take you to the town overrun by bears. how folks there are coping. and a rescue caught on camera. good samaritans rushing to pull the driver out of a burng canir.

we are learning more details about last night's tram crash at universal studios hollywood. we first told but this as breaking news last night. 15 people hurt during the crash around 9:30 last night. the l.a. county sheriff's office says the last tram car hit a rail when it was traveling down a hill at a parking structure. they also said there was some type of issue with the brakes, but investigators aren't saying much more than that.

starting friday, the studio tour is set to add several temporary attractions like immersive photo ops and a replica of the hollywood sign. it is not clear if yesterday's crash is going to alter those plans. we should note universal studios is owned by our parent company, comcast. in san francisco's know way valley today, the public was invited to a blowout celebration of a world-renowned toilet. the toilet in question is right there. the controversial public restroom installed last month in the neighborhood's town square. the original price tag for that bathroom, you might remember, was a whopping $1.7 million for a bathroom. that drew sharp backlash. in the end, it cost the city $300,000 thanks to donated materials. today there was great fanfare to welcome the toilet, including a toilet bowl toss. many could not resist the opportunity for some bathroom humor. let's have it. >> i'm flush with excitement

that they have a bathroom now, and it gets a 10 out of 10 for me. >> it's great. it's a relief. we can relieve ourselves when we have to go. >> of course our apologies to those offended. the event was co-sponsored by the san francisco office of economic and workforce development in the rec and parks department. protesters briefly delayed the start of the cherry blossom parade in san francisco today. video shows activists protesting the war in gaza, holding up a banner blocking senator scott wiener's car. the grand parade started at the civic center plaza. it featured colorful floats, japanese dance groups. nbc bay area was also represented. our mike inouye was the m.c. for the event. we streamed the parade live on the nbc bay area website. if you're looking for good parade weather, today was the

day to have a parade. >> it was gorgeous. >> perfect. wonderful. >> and today was actually the warmest day of the next week. i'm afraid we are going to be talking about some changes and possibly the return of the letter "r," rain in that forecast. but let's go take a look -- >> the "r" word. >> right now in san francisco, clear skies. temperatures, low 60s. we go out into the north bay. santa rosa right now clocking in at 79 degrees. a warm day up there in the north bay through the south bay as well. still reading at 81 in san jose. and walnut creek looks to be our warmest temperatures out there into coco county. as we talk about those headlines, i mentioned this evening sunny and warm. it was perfect for the parade, picnics. tomorrow we're going to notice a bit of cooling, especially along the coast with a chance of more of that drizzle and fog hugging the immediate coastline. if you move farther inland, it's still going to be a pleasant day to celebrate earth day. we might have to be looking for

our sweaters once again and possibly the umbrella late week. we'll talk about that in just a second. but look at these temperatures for tomorrow. we do upper 60s in san francisco to some 70s around the immediate bay. and maybe hinting at those 80s once again, but further on inland. livermore, san jose, and into fairfield. here's where you'll notice the change. starting on tuesday, we get more of that impact from the marine layer and that onshore breeze, bringing down those temperatures. no more of those 80s. we cool things back down into the 60s in just a few spots with those 70 degrees. that midweek cooling is because of a couple of systems that are trying to nudge their way into the bay area, but not quite organizing themselves well enough to come in here. and the models from this morning on into this afternoon have actually started to paint the rain a little bit more disorganized on into thursday and friday. possibly that hint of rain on friday, but very trace amounts of rain. we go up into the sierra where we could see that late-season snow coming back down. so let me show you what the models have updated this afternoon as far as how much we

could be looking at. we were looking at a bull's-eye around the santa cruz mountains, maybe half an inch to three-quarters of an inch. that's gone down to maybe a quarter of it. the rest of us getting trace amounts. hopefully that system continues to move around the bay area and we continue to talk about though sun-filled days. in san francisco, we will be enjoying a nice, calm monday. earth day is the day. then we'll cool things back down into the 60s. you'll need that jacket. we'll watch the chances of rain. as far as our inland valleys go, we are going to see temperatures, as i mentioned, still warm inland in those few 80s, back down into the 70s. we see that drop about 10, 15 degrees as we go through the middle of the week into thursday and friday. it's windy, and we also are looking at those chances of rain, but that's about it. we go into next weekend. those temperatures rebound just a little bit into those upper 60s and possibly some 70s by sunday. >> i bet a lot of viewers are happy that the next rain is not going to be on the weekend. we've had too much of that.

>> yeah. we're just going like this. >> she's dancing. thank you. up next, the latest nbc news poll showing the presidential race getting even tighter and tighter. we're going to have the main takeaways and the new mbers takeaways and the new mbers cominung ♪ i have type 2 diabetes, but i manage it well ♪

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ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy says his country has a chance at victory in its war with russia thanks to the ongoing aid pouring into the ukraine from the u.s. yesterday the house passed a

bill providing ukraine with another $61 billion. it's one of several bills that include aid for ukraine, israel, and taiwan, and a tiktok ban. all are expected to pass the senate this week. today on "meet the press," president zelenskyy thanked u.s. lawmakers and urged the senate to pass that bill. >> can ukraine now win this war, or is the united states merely giving you enough aid to prolong this war? >> translator: thank you. i think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of ukraine, and we will have a chance for victory if ukraine really gets the weapons system which we need so much. >> president biden is also urging the senate to pass the aid package. he has said he'll sign the bills if they make it to his desk. opening statements are set to begin tomorrow in former president trump's hush money criminal trial.

a jury of seven men and five women plus six alternates was picked last week. mr. trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. also tomorrow, a new york judge will holding a hearing on the $175 million bond posted by mr. trump as he appeals his $454 million fraud judge against him in the e. jean carroll case. later this week on thursday, the supreme court will hear arguments on mr. trump's claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution. turning to decision 2024, today nbc news released the results of its latest national poll, and the big takeaway, election interest hits a new low with majorities holding negative views of both president biden and former president trump. the poll found president biden cutting into mr. trump's previous lead, with just two points now separating the two in a head-to-head contest. right now biden ahead of trump on abortion and uniting the country. trump leading on competency and dealing with inflation. another key takeaway, president

biden's approval rating ticking up five points since january on the issues. 39% of voters say they approve of the president's handling of the economy, up three points since january. the president continues to struggle when it comes to border security and immigration as well as the israel-hamas war. his highest issue rating is addressing student loan debt. we're going to continue to bring you the latest on decision 2024 throughout the election season, plus you can find more on these poll results on our website, nbc bay area news.com. up next, the group of bay area nurses planning to protest. the concerns they're raising about using a.i. in hospitals. plus, an incredible rescue caught on camera. the story behind this fiery video. and a reminder. a major freeway in the north bay on schedule to reopen tomorrow morning. caltrans closed westbound highway 37 friday night for road repairs. crews say it is set to reopen on time tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. we're back in a moment.

new and dramatic video of a fiery rescue on a minnesota freeway. this happened last week in st. paul. dash cam video shows a group of good samaritans rushing to pull a driver from their burning car. the honda suv veered off the road, hit a light pole, guardrail, and then this. it caught fire. you can see rescuers trying several times to open the car doors before finally successfully pulling the driver through the window. the driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation. can you believe this? no one seriously hurt. you can watch a full report on that daring rescue coming up next on "nightly news." good work.

tomorrow, nurses across the state plan to take a stand against the use of a.i. in hospitals. hundreds of nurses are set to protest outside of kaiser in san francisco. the california nurses association says new a.i. technology in hospitals is coming at the cost of patient wellness. they say a.i. is happening at a number of hospital systems. they're protesting at kaiser because of one of the earliest adopters of a.i. the nurses union claims much of the tech is untested, and it is not regulated. we reached out to kaiser about that planned protest. a spokesperson says the health care provider plans to issue a statement tomorrow. well, from late night to the world stage. >> if you're going to paris, would you do the closing ceremony with me? please say yes. >> is this real? >> yes, this is real! >> i'm in! i'm going to do it! >> you thought it was a skit, right? you might have seen that on "the tonight show" last month. mike tirico surprised jimmy

fallon. fallon told our sister station in l.a., it was a surprise. at first he thought he was getting pranked. turned out to be a real thing. colleen williams talked to him. >> i have a rosetta zone. i'm very excited. i'm watching every movie about paris. i'm watching "emily in paris." i'm trying to gear up. my french is not great. but i want to show paris and france that i understand the assignment. i'm doing my work. >> nbc bay area is your home for the olympics. it all kicks off with the opening ceremony. this is july 26th. our jessica aguirre is going to be there bringing us stories about our bay area athletes. we're back in two minutes.

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san jose shut its streets down to create the largest park in the city just for one day. viva calle san jose shut down six miles of road along the monterey corridor. people got to come out, walk the streets. the event featured a bmx stunt show, live music, food. more events in store this year. come june, it's going to be hosting a mariachi festival. >> we got to go, terry. >> got to go to that. "nightly news" is next. we're back at 6:00. hope you can join us. tonight, we are hours away from history. the prosecution set to begin its case against former president donald trump tomorrow. the new details on who will testify in the hush money trial of mr. trump and what the opening statements may reveal about the strength of the prosecution's case.